title: Defining competency-based evaluation objectives in family medicine: communication skills.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide a pragmatic approach to the evaluation of communication skills using observable behaviours, as part of a multiyear project to develop competency-based evaluation objectives for Certification in family medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nominal group technique was used to develop themes and subthemes and to identify positive and negative observable behaviours that demonstrate competence in communication in family medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  The College of Family Physicians of Canada in Mississauga, Ont.
  
  
  METHODS
  An expert group of 7 family physicians and 1 educational consultant, all of whom had experience in assessing competence in family medicine. Group members represented the Canadian context with respect to region, sex, language, community type, and experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  The group used the nominal group technique to derive a list of observable behaviours that would constitute a detailed operational definition of competence in communication skills; multiple iterations were used until saturation was achieved. The group met several times a year, and membership remained unchanged during the 4 years in which the work was conducted. The iterative process was undertaken twice--once for communication with patients and once for communication with colleagues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five themes, 5 subthemes, and 106 positive and negative observable behaviours were generated. The subtheme of charting skills was defined using a key-features analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Communication skills were defined in terms of themes and observable behaviours. These definitions were intended to help assess family physicians' competence at the start of independent practice.
authors.affiliation: Moncton Medical Clinic, Moncton, NB. tom.laughlin@horizonnb.ca
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laughlin
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wetmore
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brailovsky
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crichton
authors.forename: Cheri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bethune
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donoff
authors.forename: Kathrine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lawrence
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000592:standards*