Interns’ Communication with Patients during Interview: the Perspectives of Patient and Observer

Introduction: Good communication between doctor and patient is one of the fundamental skills which can lead to getting adequate information from the patient, correct diagnosis, gaining patients’ trust, and at the end, proper care and treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate interns’ communication with patients from the observer and patient’s view. Methods: In this cross-sectional study performed in 2004, the communication skill of 72 interns of Kerman Medical University, during interview with patients was studied. The research tools included a checklist filled through direct observation and a questionnaire which was completed through interview with patient. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Spearman and Kappa coefficients using SPSS software. Results: In total, the performance of interns in communicating with patient during history taking was at an intermediate level, from both the observer and patients’ views. Also, according to their views, the most areas of deficit were at the end, during conducting and beginning of the interview, respectively. In most parts, there was no agreement between observer’s and patient’s views. With increasing patients’ age, the scores given to interns’ communication skills increased significantly. Conclusion: There are some deficiencies in interns’ communication skills during history taking. Considering the importance of communication skills, teaching them in Clinical Skills Learning Center before confronting real patients is necessary. It is recommended to perform interventional studies in order to find proper content and teaching methods for the education of communication skills.