title: General principles to consider when designing a clinical communication assessment program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of clinical communication helps teachers in healthcare education determine whether their learners have acquired sufficient skills to meet the demands of clinical practice. The aim of this paper is to give input to educators when planning how to incorporate assessment into clinical communication teaching by building on the authors' experience and current literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  A summary of the relevant literature within healthcare education is discussed, focusing on what and where to assess, how to implement assessment and how to choose appropriate methodology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Establishing a coherent approach to teaching, training, and assessment, including assessing communication in the clinical context, is discussed. Key features of how to implement assessment are presented including: establishing a system with both formative and summative approaches, providing feedback that enhances learning and establishing a multi-source and longitudinal assessment program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of a reliable, valid, credible, feasible assessment method with specific educational relevance is essential for clinical communication teaching.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All assessment methods have strengths and limitations. Since assessment drives learning, assessment should be aligned with the purpose of the teaching program. Combining the use of different assessment formats, multiple observations, and independent measurements in different settings is advised.
authors.affiliation: Department Assessment, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kiessling
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: zoitsimtsiou@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Zoi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tsimtsiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Geurt
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Essers
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Nuland
authors.affiliation: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Tor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anvik
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bujnowska-Fedak
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral Health & Society, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hovey
authors.affiliation: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Ragnar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joakimsen
authors.affiliation: Unit of Development and Research in Medical Education, Geneva Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Noëlle Junod
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Perron
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA.
authors.forename: Marcy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000379:methods*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005246:Feedback; D007858:Learning; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013337:Students, Medical; D013663:Teaching
keywords: Assessment; Clinical communication; Communication skills; Feedback; Formative; Summative