Communication and social competencies in medical education in German-speaking countries: the Basel consensus statement. Results of a Delphi survey.
OBJECTIVE
To propose a comprehensive set of competencies and educational objectives for communication and social competencies in undergraduate medical education and to support the nationwide implementation of these issues in all medical schools.


METHODS
Thirty experts from different medical and psychosocial disciplines participated in a 2-day workshop using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to develop an initial set of educational objectives. These were refined, structured, and rated according to their importance by means of a two-step Delphi Survey involving additional experts in medical education.


RESULTS
The initial workshop resulted in 188 educational objectives assigned to 26 different topics. After the Delphi Survey, 131 objectives remained, assigned to 19 different topics. Some objectives that could be assigned to more than one topic were subsumed under a new more general category.


CONCLUSIONS
The described consensus process proved successful as one method to develop a set of educational objectives.


CONCLUSIONS
The Basel consensus statement can be used to orientate curriculum reform and development in medical education.
Kiessling
Claudia
C
Medical Faculty of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. claudia.kiessling@unibas.ch
Dieterich
Anja
A
Fabry
Götz
G
Hölzer
Henrike
H
Langewitz
Wolf
W
Mühlinghaus
Isabel
I
Pruskil
Susanne
S
Scheffer
Simone
S
Schubert
Sebastian
S
D001317:Austria; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D003479:Curriculum; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013557:Switzerland