Thriving in a busy practice: physician-patient communication training

Abstract

Background: Despite growing concern about the potential impact of managed care on the physician-patient relationship, efforts to enhance the quality of communication between practicing clinicians and their patients have been limited.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a 1-day educational workshop.

Design: Clinician self-assessment of interviewing skills measured immediately before and 3 months after the workshop.

Setting: The Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program.

Participants: Practicing clinicians (n = 1384) in 22 workshops during a 5-year period. Nine hundred eleven participants (66% response rate) completed self-assessment questionnaires 3 months after the workshop.

Results: Self-assessed interviewing skills improved in all items 3 months after the workshop (P < 0.05). Clinicians also reported a decline in the proportion of visits that they characterized as frustrating.

Conclusion: A 1-day educational intervention for large groups of practicing clinicians can improve confidence in medical interviewing skills and the ability to handle difficult encounters.