Communication Skills in Medical Education

Medical education indeed the medical sciencesScience just like many other fields depend upon communicationCommunication skills. Success or failure of a consolationConsolation often revolves around the fulcrumFulcrum of effective communication with the patient. It is of paramount importance as society grows more autonomous and somewhat litigious that communication skills should form part of an undergraduate as well as a postgraduatePostgraduate (PG) curriculumCurriculum. Apart from short lectures, small group case-based discussions and live scenes in a real or simulated environment may be the tools for learning in this field. Professional counsels may also be engaged in practicallyPractically demonstrating life-like scenarios such as managing an angry patient. Right from greeting a patient to the final stage of health care like breaking bad news is all dependent upon effective communicationCommunication skills. The objectives of this chapterChapter are: