NDLI: Communication Skills (CS) training of physicians in China and its role in actual challenges of patient-physician relationship: a cross-sectional survey

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Du, Junfeng Mayer, Gwendolyn Posenato, Elisabetta Hummel, Svenja Zafar, Ali Bärnighausen, Till Schultz, Jobst-Hendrik
Abstract	Background The Chinese healthcare system is affected by frequent disputes between physicians and patients. Although recent reforms have contributed towards improving the patient-physician relationship, distrust in physicians is still high. Communication skills (CS) training of physicians holds the key to improving patient confidence and diffusing stressful situations. This survey reports on the status of CS training in medical education in China, and the experiences and attitudes of physicians towards CS training. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted at medical institutions across China. A questionnaire developed for this study included the status of CS training, current aspects of patient-physician relationships, perceived own CS and patient-centeredness with Likert-scaled items from 1 (most negative) to 6 (most positive). Physicians’ attitude towards CS training was measured with the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) and its subscales PAS (Positive Attitude Scale) and NAS (Negative Attitude Scale). Data were analyzed descriptively and for group differences between the hospital level and operating vs. non-operating physicians. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to find associations explaining the occurrence of verbal and physical attacks and the role of CS attitudes. Results Out of 1080 questionnaires, 772 physicians met inclusion criteria. A total of 466/772 participants (60.4%) had received at least one CS training during their career. The participants rated the current situation related to patient-physician relationship in China as highly stressful (mean = 4.52, SD = 1.26, 95% CI: 4.43–4.60), experiencing verbal attacks in the past three years once a year in 372/772 cases (48.2%) and physical attacks 111/772 times (14.4%). The mean PAS was 62.96 (SD = 7.63, 95% CI: 62.41–63.47). Being female was associated with increased risk of verbal attacks (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.01–2.25) while working in a tertiary hospital and showing high levels of PAS decreased this risk (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43–0.89, and OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93–0.98). Having received a previous CS training decreased the odds of physical attacks (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.35–0.83). Conclusions A majority of Chinese physicians showed a high positive attitude towards CS training, were trained in CS and would value further training. Our results highlight that CS training is likely to promote patient-centered communication and reduce attacks against physicians. Both of these effects are to improve the patient-physician-relationship in the long run. More CS training should be offered to Chinese physicians, especially at secondary- and primary-care hospitals, where such practices remain infrequent.
Related Links	https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12909-022-03830-9.pdf
Ending Page	11
Page Count	11
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	14726920
DOI	10.1186/s12909-022-03830-9
Journal	BMC Medical Education
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	22
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2022-11-12
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Medical Education Theory of Medicine Bioethics Communication skills Doctor-patient-relationship China Patient-centered communication Theory of Medicine/Bioethics
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Education Medicine
Journal Impact Factor	2.7/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	3.4/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Impact of physician–patient relationship training on medical students’ interpersonal skills during simulated medical consultations: a cross-sectional study

Empathy and attitude toward communication skill learning as a predictor of patient-centered attitude: a cross-sectional study of dental students in Korea

Video-based feedback using real consultations for a formative assessment in communication skills

Determinants of physician empathy during medical education: hypothetical conclusions from an exploratory qualitative survey of practicing physicians

Effectiveness of clinical scenario dramas to teach doctor-patient relationship and communication skills

Interpreter and limited-English proficiency patient training helps develop medical and physician assistant students’ cross-cultural communication skills

Optimal outpatient training for resident physicians’ general medicine in-training examination score: a cross-sectional study

Methodological quality of teaching communication skills to undergraduate medical students: a mapping review

Translating medical documents improves students’ communication skills in simulated physician-patient encounters

Communication Skills (CS) training of physicians in China and its role in actual challenges of patient-physician relationship: a cross-sectional survey

Similar Documents

Impact of physician–patient relationship training on medical students’ interpersonal skills during simulated medical consultations: a cross-sectional study

Empathy and attitude toward communication skill learning as a predictor of patient-centered attitude: a cross-sectional study of dental students in Korea

Video-based feedback using real consultations for a formative assessment in communication skills

Determinants of physician empathy during medical education: hypothetical conclusions from an exploratory qualitative survey of practicing physicians

Effectiveness of clinical scenario dramas to teach doctor-patient relationship and communication skills

Interpreter and limited-English proficiency patient training helps develop medical and physician assistant students’ cross-cultural communication skills

Optimal outpatient training for resident physicians’ general medicine in-training examination score: a cross-sectional study

Methodological quality of teaching communication skills to undergraduate medical students: a mapping review

Translating medical documents improves students’ communication skills in simulated physician-patient encounters

Communication Skills (CS) training of physicians in China and its role in actual challenges of patient-physician relationship: a cross-sectional survey