Communication Skills Training for Physicians as a Strategy for Enhancing Patients’ Satisfaction: A Model for Continuing Education

Introduction. The quality of doctor-patient relationship has a significant impact on patient satisfaction and medical outcomes. Communication skills training is not formally included in medical education curriculum in Iran and as a result physicians can not communicate properly with their patients and need to receive training in this regard. In this study a communication skills training program for general practitioners was designed and its effect on their patients’ satisfaction was evaluated. Methods. In a quasi- experimental two group post-test design study, a communication skills training program was designed and implemented as a three days workshop. The study sample included 32 employed physicians (16 physicians in each experimental and control groups) and 153 patients (72 patients in experimental group and 81 in control group). The physicians in the experimental group participated in the workshop and received training using new instructional methods combined with routine communication skills teaching methods. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to measure patients’ satisfaction. Then, patients’ satisfaction from trained physicians was compared with the satisfaction in the control group by t-test using SPSS software. Results. The mean score of patients’ satisfaction from trained physicians was 86.2 with the standard deviation of 10.3 which was significantly higher than the mean score for control group (81.5±9.58). Patients’ satisfaction from their physicians’ general communication skills, at the beginning and end of session was greater for trained physicians compared with the ones who didn’t receive any training. Conclusion. Since, communication skills training for general practitioners increased patients’ satisfaction, and considering the fact that this kind of training is not included in medical education curriculum, it is recommended to consider it as an efficient and useful component in continuing medical education programs as well as undergraduate medical education.