Do We Teach Them How To Think?

The cultivation of interpersonal communicative skills represents one of the pivotal objectives within contemporary pedagogical paradigms. This research developed, tested, and evaluated three extracurricular education programs aimed at developing communicative action skills in Sunday school students against the landscape of integrated secular and religious education. The empirical base included 302 students aged 8 to 16 years (M = 11.80; SD = 2.41). They were distributed into age groups: 8–10 years (n = 104; M = 9.1; SD = 0.6), 11–13 years (n = 118; M = 12.0; SD = 0.8), and 14–16 years (n = 80; M = 15.0; SD = 0.8). The experiment also featured 74 Sunday school teachers (M = 41.2; SD = 7.1), of whom 13 were clergy (M = 42.5; SD = 6.8). The methodology involved questionnaires, observation, semi-structured interviews, content analysis of essays, and expert assessment of group interaction. Three extracurricular programs were implemented by age groups. They exploited project forms, role-playing games, and academic events, as well as such digital platforms as Moodle, Sferum, and Nextcloud. The participants demonstrated a high level of communicative actions, which increased from 14.8% to 31.7%. The proportion of students with poorly developed communicative skills decreased from 58.0% to 22.5%. The students also improved their speech activity and empathy. While clarifying the terminology related to communicative skills, competences, and actions, the authors developed a diagnostic system of criteria and indicators adapted to the conditions of extracurricular religious education. The programs can be realized in Sunday schools as a tool for the targeted formation of communicative skills.

In summary it is essential that we improve our interpersonal and communication skills. We can learn and be taught better skills. We will be evaluated on these skills in the future, and it is important for us to establish ourselves as good role models for the future surgeons who will be entering our profession. It is of benefit to our patients and will give them a better understanding of their disease and elevate their level of healthcare. It is also important to us to help reduce our stress and to eliminate burnout. We can improve our interpersonal and communication skills in many ways. First we must be aware that there is a problem and recognize this as a problem that can be solved and that we do need to improve our current skills. This can be done through multiple educational tools such as lectures, videos, and self-assessments. The responsibility for this culture change ranges from top to bottom, but really begins at the bottom. It is important for all of us especially individuals such as myself, who is not only a practicing surgeon but also a surgeon in a leadership position, a surgeon who teaches medical students and residents, and a chairman who develops the careers of young faculty members. It is important for organizations such as the Southeastern Surgical Congress to recognize this need of our members and to conduct seminars, luncheons, and courses in helping us acquire better skills and also giving us some assessment of the current status of our skills. The American College of Surgeons has already addressed this issue by forming the Task Force on Communication and Educational Skills. Various examining boards have already incorporated this into requirements and expectations of future physicians and surgeons. We must establish ourselves as good role models. Being a good role model cannot be overemphasized. We are very fortunate in being good role models in medical knowledge and mastering phenomenal technical feats; however, this is not enough. It is also important that we also improve our interpersonal and communication skills. We must establish goals and outcomes for ourselves and work on ways of assessing these to ensure that we are effective in improving our skills. We must incorporate interpersonal and communication skills into our training programs, postgraduate courses, and all aspects of lifelong continuing education. Addressing the improvement of our interpersonal and communication skills will have many beneficial effects including improved patient outcomes, a better healthcare status for our patients, and a high level of confidence that patients have in us as physicians and surgeons. We do at times have a less than ideal collegial relationship with other disciplines in medicine. This faulty relationship needs to be rectified. We need to restore and maintain a high collegial relationship with everyone in medicine not only other physicians, but also nurses, paramedical personnel, and others. These changes will require a great deal of effort and will take some considerable time. Initially laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic skills were not adequately learned but with recognition of its importance, education, and time, we became master surgeons. We are very fortunate to have residents and practitioners with superb laparoscopic skills that they acquired during their training and in structured postgraduate courses. Likewise it is important to incorporate interpersonal and communication skills into our training programs and our continuing medical educational programs. Finally, this is not just a touchy-feely issue, but it is one of surgical professionalism. It is critical for us to address this as an important issue since it will enhance the good qualities that we already possess. Let's start today. I have enjoyed this year being your President, and wish to thank you for the opportunity of addressing you this morning.

Accreditation of residency programs and certification of physicians requires assessment of competence in communication and interpersonal skills. Residency and continuing medical education program directors seek ways to teach and evaluate these competencies. This report summarizes the methods and tools used by educators, evaluators, and researchers in the field of physician-patient communication as determined by the participants in the "Kalamazoo II" conference held in April 2002. Communication and interpersonal skills form an integrated competence with two distinct parts. Communication skills are the performance of specific tasks and behaviors such as obtaining a medical history, explaining a diagnosis and prognosis, giving therapeutic instructions, and counseling. Interpersonal skills are inherently relational and process oriented; they are the effect communication has on another person such as relieving anxiety or establishing a trusting relationship. This report reviews three methods for assessment of communication and interpersonal skills: (1) checklists of observed behaviors during interactions with real or simulated patients; (2) surveys of patients' experience in clinical interactions; and (3) examinations using oral, essay, or multiple-choice response questions. These methods are incorporated into educational programs to assess learning needs, create learning opportunities, or guide feedback for learning. The same assessment tools, when administered in a standardized way, rated by an evaluator other than the teacher, and using a predetermined passing score, become a summative evaluation. The report summarizes the experience of using these methods in a variety of educational and evaluation programs and presents an extensive bibliography of literature on the topic. Professional conversation between patients and doctors shapes diagnosis, initiates therapy, and establishes a caring relationship. The degree to which these activities are successful depends, in large part, on the communication and interpersonal skills of the physician. This report focuses on how the physician's competence in professional conversation with patients might be measured. Valid, reliable, and practical measures can guide professional formation, determine readiness for independent practice, and deepen understanding of the communication itself.

PurposeIndividuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present challenges in their social and communication skills such as difficulties in developing interpersonal relationships and verbal and nonverbal communication; repetitive and restricted behaviors concerning resistance to environmental change, stereotyped movements and unusual reactions to sensory stimuli; and significant delays in motor development and performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a combined visual arts and exercise program on the communication and social behavior skills of people with ASD.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted in a Creative Employment Center of People with Disabilities, and the sample consisted of 18 participants with ASD divided randomly into a control group (CG) (n = 8) and an experiment group (EG) (n = 10). The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) was used prior and after the implementation of the intervention program. EG participants attended an intervention program, whereas CG individuals followed their daily routine activities, and they only completed the SCQ prior and after the program.FindingsEG demonstrated statically significant improvements in communication skills and social behavior, compared to the results of the CG. Furthermore, participants with Asperger’s syndrome showed a higher improvement rate compared to participants with autism, while no statistically significant differences were noticed concerning gender and age of the participants.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to investigate the effect of a combined visual arts and adapted physical activity program on the social and communication skills of people with ASD.

Purpose: Communication skills are considered as one of the essential requirements in medical education, and the training often involves exercising medical interviews with standardized patients(SP) or role play. This study investigated the helpfulness of the communication skills training programs for students’ performance on the clinical performance examination (CPX). Methods: Fourth-year students who have taken one of two communication skills programs(exercising communication skills with SP or elective communication skill course with role play) completed a questionnaire on their evaluation of the helpfulness of communication skills programs immediately after finishing the CPX. Then, the programs were objectively assessed by comparing all fourth-year students’ CPX scores between program participants and non-participants. Results: About 70% of participants answered that the programs were helpful to perform clinical clerkship and CPX. However, there was no difference in either the total CPX score or 2 categorical scores(integrated clinical encounter, communication and interpersonal skill) between program participants and non-participants. Conclusion: Although the students felt that the communication skills programs were helpful to their clinical activities, this study failed to find objective evidence of any effect of the programs on the CPX results. Communication skills training should be continued during clinical clerkship to maintain or enhance the skills, and it is necessary to introduce more effective methods for precise evaluation of students’ communication skills.

The study endeavored to determine the frequency of the the fourth year high school students participation in role-play activities and the extent of the interpersonal skills in terms of risk-taking, team work, sense of responsibility, open-mindedness, confidence, and communication skills. It aimed to test the relationship between the use of role-play activities and the development of the student’s aforementioned skills. The study used the descriptive correlational design in research were a total of one-hundred and twenty fourth year students were chosen. The study identified that majority of the respondents participated in role-play activities three times or less in a week, and that, mostly done during the languages class and Values Education. Furthermore, open-mindedness was revealed to be highly developed in those students who participated in the role-play activities. Moreover, students’ communication skills are potentially enhanced through active involvement in these activities. The five other interpersonal skills appeared to be less developed. Then, debate was identified as the most enjoyable and group discussions and reporting was the least. In conclusion, it could be noted that the students’ participation in role-play activities in the classroom had helped them develop open-mindedness because they were open with their group mates and more willing to listen and accept varied inputs from one another. Keywords: Role play, Interpersonal and Communication skills

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are necessary for allied health professionals to provide effective care/treatment and underpin the practice-based competencies allied health students must develop. Communication skills of first year speech pathology (SP) students are screened at the major Australian metropolitan university where this study took place. Final year students screen their first year peers as part of their practice-based education experience. Although this identifies first year students with communication difficulties, the perceived value to university teachers (academics and practice educators) has not been investigated. This study described university staff perceptions of screening the communication skills of first year SP students. The qualitative, descriptive design included two focus groups. The dataset was analysed thematically. The analysis revealed the staff perception of value in screening communication skills to inform student support. Two sub-themes contributing to this perception were ‘purpose of the screener’ and ‘content and administration of the screener’. Both staff groups strongly valued the screening process, stating that it is positive and useful. A similar screening process could identify first year students from a range of health fields with less skilled communication, who may require additional support to achieve competency.

This study compared the interpersonal communication skills of seventy-eight third-year dental students when interacting with their patients before and after they participated in a thirty-five-hour course that addressed recognition of anxiety, interviewing techniques, patient records, behavior management, and patient relations. Students were evaluated before and after attending the course by psychology graduate students who used a behavioral observation form that measured expressive and receptive communication skills, nonverbal communication skills, professional presentation, and sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, and gender diversity. At the conclusion of this course, students' interpersonal skills were rated significantly higher than prior to the course at the p<.0001 level. The outcomes of this study indicate that effective communication between dental students and their patients may be acquired and refined through a course that addresses basic interviewing skills.

In the workplace, hard skills and soft skills are equally taken into account, especially in this 21st century, where people are required to have ‘global employability skills’ to secure a good job. This study aims to determine the benefits of international mobility programs have on the ability of soft skills, especially in the aspects of communication, social skills and flexibility—as parts of ‘global employability skills’--of students and alumni of a Vocational College within three years from 2017 to 2019. The research method used is by distributing questionnaires Google Form with Likert Scale format from strongly disagree to strongly agree scale 1-5. Research subjects were active students and graduates of Vocational College (Sekolah Vokasi) UGM who had participated in international mobility programs, both incoming and outgoing programs, organized by the OIA SV-UGM, in 2017-2019. The respondents were 60 people. The results showed that the developed soft skills were language and communication skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork, cultural understanding and adaptability and openness. Specifically for alumni, soft skills that are highly developed and helpful in the working world are adaptability and openness (82.9%), cultural understanding (74.3%), language and communication skills (71.4%), ability to work together (65.7%), and interpersonal skills (54.3%).

Background: Good communication skills are essential components of physician-training. Effective communication between the doctor and the patient leads to better compliance, better health outcomes, decreased litigation, and higher satisfaction both for doctors and patients. The acquisition of communication and interpersonal skills is recognized and documented as a core competency for physician training in many countries. In the absence of proper training, Indian medical graduates often have less than adequate communication skills and the demand for formal training in this area has often been echoed. Aim and objectives were to know the attitude and ascertain the change in attitude, assess basic communication skills, ascertain the change in basic clinical communication skills (before and after training) and to impart training regarding communication skills by using different teaching learning methods to undergraduate medical students (third year).Methods: An interventional study was conducted using convenience sampling method. Assessment of attitude, communication skills and self-competence of communication skills was done using standardized questionnaires. Data analysis was done by using appropriate statistical tests.Results: Total 60 students participated in the study. The change in the mean scores of pre-training and post-training attitude, SEGUE (set the stage, elicit information, give information, understand patient’s perspective, end the encounter) framework score and self-assessment of communication competence scores were statistically significant before and after training.Conclusions: After training undergraduate medical students by using variety of effective training methods; their attitude towards learning communication skills changed positively and their basic clinical communication skills improved significantly.

Workplace violence against emergency physicians: A cross-sectional study on the role of communication skills.

IntroductionThe ability to utilize the electronic health record (EHR) without compromising the doctor-patient relationship (DPR) is an essential skill of all physicians and trainees, yet little time is spent on educating or assessing learners on needed techniques. To address this gap, we developed a conventional OSCE station coupled with a simulated patient chart within the Epic program in order to assess our students' skills utilizing the EHR during a patient encounter.MethodsOf third-year medical students, 119 were given full access to the patient's simulated chart 24 hours in advance of their OSCE to review clinical data. During an in-person OSCE with a standardized patient (SP), students performed a focused history and physical, using the EHR to verify allergies and medications. Students completed an electronic patient note graded by faculty. SPs evaluated the students on communication and interpersonal skills with specific rubric elements. Faculty graded the students' notes to evaluate their expression of clinical reasoning in the assessment and plan.ResultsTraining SPs and faculty to assess students on EHR skills was feasible. After implementation of a comprehensive curriculum focused on EHR and DPR, there was a significant difference on EHR-related communication skills (M = 76.4, SD = 17.6) versus (M = 37, SD = 28.9) before curriculum enhancement t (117.9) = −12.4, p <.001.DiscussionThe EHR OSCE station provided a standardized method of assessing students' EHR skills during a patient encounter. Challenges still exist in the technological requirements to develop and deliver cases in today's EHR platform.

BACKGROUND: Physician communication and interpersonal skills (CIS) are increasingly recognized as important to patient care and patient satisfaction. To enhance our medical students' competence in this area, a 2-hour workshop was developed. METHODS: Over two consecutive days, third year medical students participated in a 2 hours workshop on interpersonal and communication skills (40-minute lecture, 80-minute standardized patient [SP] encounters). Lecture content was identical during the 2 days with the exception of two slides relating to empathy: on day 1, the empathy queries and statements were described generally with one example of each, whereas on day 2, five examples of specific questions and statements of empathy were provided. After the lecture, participants were directed to predetermined groups of four students to one SP. Each student was assigned a different patient scenario, and allowed 10 minutes to elicit a history. Standardized CIS assessment forms were filled out by the student interviewer (self-assessment), the other students in the group (peer assessment), and the SP. feedback was given after each students' encounter with the SP within their group. RESULTS: A total of 237 students consented to participate in the study. The demographics for day 1 and day 2 students were similar. Day 2 students scored better on the standardized patient CIS average cumulative scores (32.0±5.4 versus 28.3±6.2, P&lt;.001), pass rate (78.0% versus 46.5%, P&lt;.001), and proportion attaining exemplary status (27.6% versus 9.6%, P&lt;.01). There were no differences in mean SP rated CIS scores within the day 1 subgroups or day 2 subgroups. DISCUSSION: Explicit and multiple examples of empathy queries and statements may be a key curricular component for teaching medical students and leads to improved communication and empathy scores.

ABSTRACT: Parent-mediated interventions (PMIs) are the most cost-effective way to target social communication and behavioral issues in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This research synthesis aims to (a) identify the types of PMI programs that have been used to improve the social communication skills of children with ASD and (b) record the outcomes of these programs that have been reported in previous research on children with ASD and their parents. The PRISMA guidelines were used to identify the published PMI studies from 2004 to 2022. The digital databases Scopus, ERIC, Web of Science, and B-on were screened for relevant publications using the keywords “autism spectrum disorder” AND “home-based intervention” OR “parent-mediated intervention” OR “family-mediated intervention” AND “educational program” OR “training program” AND “social skills” OR “communication skills” in the studies’ titles and/or abstracts. The inclusion criteria were as follows: studies with parent-mediated intervention programs primarily targeting the social communication skills of children with ASD, published in English, and reporting outcomes in children with ASD. The search yielded 462 publications, and only 37 studies were eligible for inclusion in the final analysis. Overall, these studies showed that PMIs were effective in improving social communication and other skills of children with ASD. Additionally, parents showed high fidelity, positive perception, self-efficacy, satisfaction, and a decrease in stress. The limitations of the studies and future implications were discussed.

Objectives: Communication and problem-solving skills are very important for health professionals as they are frequently used skills in professional practice. This study was planned to evaluate the relationship between the problem-solving and communication skills of final-year students studying in the field of health sciences. Materials and Methods: A total of 171 health sciences students (135 females, 36 males) with a mean age of 22.64 ± 1.60 years were included in the study. The communication skills of these individuals were evaluated with the Communication Skills Inventory, and their problem-solving skills were evaluated with the Problem Solving Inventory. The relationship between the two inventories was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between the Problem Solving Inventory and Communication Skills Inventory cognitive subscale (r=-0.39, p&amp;lt;0.01), behavioral subscale (r=-0.32, p&amp;lt;0.01) scores and total score (r= -0.33, p&amp;lt;0.01). Conclusion: In light of these findings, it is thought that the problem-solving and communication skills that will be needed in the transition to professional life are associated with each other and should be considered together in the education of health sciences students. In future studies, we suggest that studies examine the factors that may affect the problem-solving and communication skills of health science students and their relationship with the curriculum.