title: Medical students' cognitive and affective attitudes towards learning and using communication skills--a nationwide cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We wanted to explore cognitive and affective attitudes towards communication skills among students in Norwegian medical schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  1833 (60% response rate) medical students at the four medical schools in Norway filled in questionnaires by the end of term in May 2003. The Communication Skills Attitudes Scale (CSAS) was used for assessing affective and cognitive attitudes separately.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical students have positive attitudes towards learning and using communication skills. Cognitive and affective attitudes displayed different patterns. Being female and having worked in the health services before admission to the medical school predicted more positive scores both towards cognitive and affective attitudes. Having worked as a junior doctor during medical school predicted more positive cognitive attitudes. Cognitive attitudes towards communication skills did not vary significantly between year groups in any of the medical schools. Scores reflecting affective attitudes gradually fell for each year in all schools, but rose again in the final year in two of them. Implications for curriculum design are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Tor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anvik
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grimstad
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baerheim
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bernt Fasmer
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gude
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hjortdahl
authors.forename: Are
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holen
authors.forename: Terje
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Risberg
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vaglum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires