Abstract
Enriching clinical communication teaching - A human values based approach.
Clinical communication is well established as a core component of undergraduate medical curricula. Teaching and assessment practice in this field has been increasingly dominated by a skills and competency discourse, with an emphasis on observable and measureable aspects of communication. A growing concern that this trend risks both a diminution of the subject and its separation from underpinning conceptual bases motivated the research and subsequent practice developments presented in this paper.
A qualitative study was conducted to investigate how does, and how could, current pedagogic practice embody the complexity of clinical communication in undergraduate medical education. Following a preliminary scoping survey across all UK medical schools, in–depth interviews exploring the perspectives of ten UK clinical communication teachers were conducted.
A key finding centred on the differing emphases placed on skills teaching in relation to other areas deemed intrinsic to rounded interpersonal and professional development. While all participants cited the acquisition of skills as important, the majority espoused a more expansive approach, examples of which included the role of values, beliefs and the capacity for reflection.
This gave rise to the question of how a broader conceptualisation of clinical communication might be captured and articulated in order to promote an enriched subject discourse and pedagogy. Informed by the study recommendations, a human values-based framework has been adopted as a unifying construct in which to situate clinical communication teaching within a UK undergraduate medical curriculum. The development of this curricular innovation is outlined and examples of its implementation are provided.
Clinical communication is well established as a core component of undergraduate medical curricula. Teaching and assessment practice in this field has been increasingly dominated by a skills and competency discourse, with an emphasis on observable and measureable aspects of communication. A growing concern that this trend risks both a diminution of the subject and its separation from underpinning conceptual bases motivated the research and subsequent practice developments presented in this paper.
A qualitative study was conducted to investigate how does, and how could, current pedagogic practice embody the complexity of clinical communication in undergraduate medical education. Following a preliminary scoping survey across all UK medical schools, in–depth interviews exploring the perspectives of ten UK clinical communication teachers were conducted.
A key finding centred on the differing emphases placed on skills teaching in relation to other areas deemed intrinsic to rounded interpersonal and professional development. While all participants cited the acquisition of skills as important, the majority espoused a more expansive approach, examples of which included the role of values, beliefs and the capacity for reflection.
This gave rise to the question of how a broader conceptualisation of clinical communication might be captured and articulated in order to promote an enriched subject discourse and pedagogy. Informed by the study recommendations, a human values-based framework has been adopted as a unifying construct in which to situate clinical communication teaching within a UK undergraduate medical curriculum. The development of this curricular innovation is outlined and examples of its implementation are provided.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | COMET 2018 Abstract Book |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
| Event | Communication, Medicine and Ethics Conference. - University of Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham, United Kingdom Duration: 25 Jun 2018 → 27 Jun 2018 |
Conference
| Conference | Communication, Medicine and Ethics Conference. |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | COMET |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Birmingham |
| Period | 25/06/2018 → 27/06/2018 |
Keywords
- CLINICAL COMMUNICATION
- Human Values