Comparing self-reported communication skills of medical students in traditional and integrated curricula: a nationwide study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate medical students' self-assessments of their communication skills through medical school related to background factors, curriculum design and perceived medical school stress.


METHODS
Medical students at all year levels attending Norwegian universities in the spring of 2003 were mailed the Oslo Inventory of Self-reported Communication Skills (OSISCS) developed by the authors. Of the total number of students (N=3055), 60% responded. One school had a traditional curriculum, the other three ran integrated models.


RESULTS
Students assessed their instrumental communication skills to increase linearly year by year, while the relational skills showed a curve-linear trajectory reaching the optimum level half-way into the curriculum. Students attending the traditional school reported lower levels of instrumental skills compared to the students from the integrated schools. In relational skills, a similar difference was maintained half-way into the curriculum, but disappeared towards the end. Perceived medical school stress correlated to the self-reported end point levels of the two types of communication skills.


CONCLUSIONS
The trajectories of self-reported instrumental and relational skills indicate significant variations in facilitating mechanisms between curricula, cognitive processing and perceived medical school stress.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported instrumental and relational communication skills develop differently in medical students over the years according to the type of curriculum.


CONCLUSIONS
Curricula should be evaluated for improvement implementations.
Gude
Tore
T
Department of Behavioral Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1111-Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway. tore.gude@medisin.uio.no
Baerheim
Anders
A
Holen
Are
A
Anvik
Tor
T
Finset
Arnstein
A
Grimstad
Hilde
H
Hjortdahl
Per
P
Risberg
Terje
T
Vaglum
Per
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013315:Stress, Psychological