The effect of undergraduate education in communication skills: a randomised controlled clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether students improve their communication skills as a result of supervised patient care and whether a newly implemented communication course could further improve these skills.


METHODS
We conducted a randomised, controlled trial including all participants of the first clinical treatment course (n = 26) between October 2006 and February 2007. Randomisation was balanced by gender and basic communication skills. The test group practised dentist-patient communication skills in small groups with role-plays and videotaped real patient interviews, whereas the control group learned in problem-based workshops both on a weekly basis. Before and after the interventions (two group pre- and post-design) all students conducted two interviews with simulated patients. The encounters were rated using a 10-item checklist derived from the Calgary-Cambridge Observation Guide I.


RESULTS
Repeated measures ANOVA (alpha = 0.05) showed a significant difference of the sum scores of the ratings between test and control group (P = 0.004). The participants educated in communication skills improved significantly (Delta = +14.9; P = 0.004), whereas in the control group no accretion of practical communication competence was observed (Delta = -3.9; P = 0.23).


CONCLUSIONS
It could be demonstrated that solely interacting with patients during a clinical treatment course did not inevitably improve professional communication skills. In contrast, implementation of a course in communication skills improved the practical competence in dentist-patient interaction.
Haak
Rainer
R
Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. rainer.haak@uk-koeln.de
Rosenbohm
Jakob
J
Koerfer
Armin
A
Obliers
Rainer
R
Wicht
Michael J
MJ
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D003814:Dentistry, Operative / Q000193:education; D004497:Education, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010358:Patient Participation; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010517:Periodontics / Q000193:education; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D012381:Role Playing; D013335:Students, Dental; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D014743:Videotape Recording