title: Thriving in a busy practice: physician-patient communication training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite growing concern about the potential impact of managed care on the physician-patient relationship, efforts to enhance the quality of communication between practicing clinicians and their patients have been limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of a 1-day educational workshop.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinician self-assessment of interviewing skills measured immediately before and 3 months after the workshop.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Practicing clinicians (n = 1384) in 22 workshops during a 5-year period. Nine hundred eleven participants (66% response rate) completed self-assessment questionnaires 3 months after the workshop.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-assessed interviewing skills improved in all items 3 months after the workshop (P < 0.05). Clinicians also reported a decline in the proportion of visits that they characterized as frustrating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 1-day educational intervention for large groups of practicing clinicians can improve confidence in medical interviewing skills and the ability to handle difficult encounters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physician Education, Permanente Medical Group, Oakland, Calif., USA.
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kwan
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000592:standards*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000592:standards*; D006302:Health Services Research; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011361:Professional Competence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012647:Self-Assessment; D014481:United States