Evaluation of residents’ medical communication skills: analyses and recommendations for improving the educational process

Introduction. Communication skills are an integral part of a doctor’s professional competence and are included in national and international standards of medical education. However, in Russia there is no unified methodology for teaching and evaluating these skills, which makes it difficult for students to develop stable communicative competencies.

The purpose of the study. To analyze the level of formation of communication skills with patients among residents of various specialties (surgeons and therapists) and develop recommendations for improving the learning process aimed at developing the communicative competencies of future doctors, taking into account the specifics of their professional training.

Materials and methods. 102 residents of various profiles were surveyed using a structured questionnaire that includes both quantitative and qualitative questions. The data were processed using descriptive statistics (M, SD, percentage distribution), comparative tests (t-test for independent samples or Mann-Whitney in violation of normality) for quantitative indicators, criterion χ2 for categorical variables, while statistical significance was assessed at p < 0.05, and qualitative analysis was carried out by the method of thematic analysis highlighting the key categories.

Results. Most residents began learning communication skills in their later years at the university, while practical training with patients was recognized as the most effective teaching methods. Half of the respondents rate their level of training as acceptable, but a significant proportion have difficulties in clinical communication, especially in aspects of empathy, open dialogue and conflict resolution. Surgeons were more likely to demonstrate a lack of fear and open dialogue skills, while therapists showed a higher level of empathy. Role-playing games, simulations, debriefing and supervision are recognized as promising methods for developing communicative competence, taking into account the profile of specialists.

Conclusion. The development of communication skills among residents should begin from the early stages of training, actively using role-playing games and simulations. Interaction with teachers and mentors through debriefing and supervision plays an important role. The skills of open dialogue, conflict resolution, and dealing with «complex» patients, including nonverbal reactions, remain the most difficult. Promising areas are training with video feedback, modern simulation technologies (including VR) and the development of empathy, taking into account the profile of specialists.

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