title: Impact of a communication skills audiovisual package on medical students' knowledge.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over the last decade more emphasis is being put on teaching communication skills (CS). Use of videos and role-play was suggested to improve CS. This article will present the impact of an audiovisual package on promoting the knowledge of medical students in CS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five second year medical students--distributed into eight groups led by four facilitators--critiqued a video clip immediately before and after the introduction of a communication skills audiovisual package. The skills taught included opening the interview, questioning, facilitation, clarification, reflection, confrontation, summarizing, and preparation of the patient for the physical exam. The students, also, role-played the reviewed scenario. The students' pre- and post-intervention responses were analyzed using a standardized grading form.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant improvement in students' knowledge (p < 0.000) after the introduction of the intervention in all the CS taught except closed ended questioning. This improvement was consistent among the four facilitators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reviewing video scenarios and role-playing improved the knowledge in core communication skills among second-year medical students assessed by a video-based written examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Bassem R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Saab
authors.forename: Jinan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Usta
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: Jumana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Antoun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001296:Audiovisual Aids / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003142:Communication; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D007861:Lebanon; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D024382:Professional Role; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013663:Teaching; D013997:Time Factors