Teaching the art of emergency medicine.
The devaluation of interpersonal skills in medical education and practice has contributed to the current breakdown of the patient-physician relationship. The proliferation of medical technologies and the rise of the medical-industrial complex require even greater competency in these skills. No guidelines exist for teaching and/or evaluating interpersonal skills within emergency medicine residency programs. A written survey sent to all directors of allopathic emergency medicine residencies revealed large differences among programs in terms of quantity of formal teaching and specific formats used. A literature review demonstrates the direct impact of interpersonal skills on patient care and suggests methods for measuring proficiency in these skills. Elements of a core curriculum are proposed.
Rosenzweig
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Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States