title: Medical Student Attitudes Toward Communication Skills Training and Knowledge of Appropriate Provider-Patient Communication: A Comparison of First-Year and Fourth-Year Medical Students.
abstract: Drawing upon Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives as a theoretical framework, this study examines attitudes toward communication skills training, knowledge of appropriate provider-patient communication, and confidence communicating with patients between first-year and fourth-year medical students at a large medical school in the southern United States. The study findings indicate that fourth-year medical students do not differ from first-year medical students in terms of attitudes towards communication skills training or knowledge of appropriate provider-patient communication, but they have significantly higher confidence scores about communicating with patients. In addition, positive attitudes towards communication skills training are significantly related to perceived importance of communication skills and confidence when communicating with patients. Finally, female medical students have more positive attitudes towards communication skills training than male medical students. The implications of the study findings and directions for future research are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication , University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Kevin B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Carma
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bylund
authors.affiliation: c Department of Communication , University of Memphis.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ware
authors.affiliation: d Department of Psychiatry, M. D. Anderson Cancer Research Center.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: e School of Communication , University of Houston.
authors.forename: Jim L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Query
authors.affiliation: d Department of Psychiatry, M. D. Anderson Cancer Research Center.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baile