ComPsych communication skills training: Applicability of simulated patients in psychiatry communication skills training

Enhancing effective healthcare communication in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: Considerations for research, teaching, policy, and practice

Objective

In this article we present a conceptual framework for enhancing effective healthcare communication in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Methods

Through an iterative, deliberative dialogue approach, we, as experts from a variety of health professions and academic disciplines, worked together to identify core values and considerations for healthcare communication across numerous health professions and disciplines and within research, teaching, policy, and practice contexts.

Results

The framework developed includes five core values at its centre: equitable, inclusive, evidence-based, collaborative, reflective. Around this are concentric circles showing key elements of collaborators, modality, context, and purpose. Each of these is explored.

Conclusion

This work may support benchmarking for healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, and educators across a breadth of professions to help improve communication in clinical practice. The framework will also help to identify areas across disciplines that are shared and potentially idiosyncratic for various professions to promote interprofessional recognition, education, and collaboration.

Innovation

This framework is designed to start conversations, to form the foundation of a dialogue about the priorities and key considerations for developing teaching curricula, professional development, and research programs related to healthcare communication, providing a set of values specifically for the unique contexts of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. It can also be used to guide interdisciplinary healthcare professionals in advancing research, teaching, policy, and practice related to healthcare communication.

Communication skills in psychiatry for undergraduate students: A scoping review

Communication skills are paramount in all areas of medicine but particularly in psychiatry due to the challenges posed by mental health patients and the essential role of communication from diagnosis to treatment. Despite the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in different medical specialties, particularly in primary care settings, communication skills in psychiatry and their training are not well studied and are often not included in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Our paper explores the relevance of teaching communication competencies in psychiatry for undergraduate medical students. Our work focused on reviewing the methods for teaching communication skills to undergraduate students in Psychiatry. Eleven studies were selected to be included in this review. We found considerable heterogeneity among methods for teaching communication skills but also some common elements such as the use of simulated patients and providing feedback. This review has identified two models: the Calgary-Cambridge interview model and the Kolb cycle-based model. However, most studies still lack a theoretical background model. We believe that the inclusion of communication skills training in medical curricula is fundamental to teaching medical students general communication skills but also specific training on establishing adequate communication with psychiatric patients. However, more research is needed to determine the best method for training but also regarding its translation to patient care and cost-effectiveness.