Impact of a communication skills audiovisual package on medical students' knowledge

INTRODUCTION : Over the last decade more emphasis is being put on teaching communication skills (CS). Use of videos and role-play was suggested to improve CS. This article will present the impact of an audiovisual package on promoting the knowledge of medical students in CS. METHODS : Seventy-five second year medical students - distributed into eight groups led by four facilitators - critiqued a video clip immediately before and after the introduction of a communication skills audiovisual package. The skills taught included opening the interview, questioning, facilitation, clarification, reflection, confrontation, summarizing, and preparation of the patient for the physical exam. The students, also, role-played the reviewed scenario. The students' pre- and post-intervention responses were analyzed using a standardized grading form. RESULTS : There was a significant improvement in students' knowledge (p < 0.000) after the introduction of the intervention in all the CS taught except closed ended questioning. This improvement was consistent among the four facilitators. CONCLUSION : Reviewing video scenarios and role-playing improved the knowledge in core communication skills among second-year medical students assessed by a video-based written examination.