title: A needs assessment for a communication skills curriculum in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although communication skills have been observed as a crucial element in the delivery of high-quality medical care, the emphasis given to them within medical education in Iran is severely limited, and the state of such teaching is unknown in many other countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This exploratory study investigated the views and experiences of medical education course planners in Iran with respect to the current status of communication skills training within Iranian medical schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  The findings are based on the in-depth interviews with Iranian medical course planners.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings demonstrate that there is a deep concern about the lack of communication skills training within the Iranian medical curriculum. Medical students' acquisition and use of communication skills is consistently poor. Furthermore, medical litigation can then result from poor communication skills among medical students. Both positive and negative attitudes toward integrating communication skills into the medical curriculum were revealed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a real need to integrate communication skills into Iranian medical education with due attention to ethnical and religious issues. Some recommendations are made, and the limitations of the study are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Nottingham University, The Dearing Building, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB, UK. texmt@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tavakol
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Torabi
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007501:Iron; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011361:Professional Competence
chemical_list: D007501:Iron