PLX Academy · Blog · 20 March 2023
According to a recent Qualtrics survey conducted by PLX Academy among medical students at King’s College in London, communication skills in healthcare are essential for doctors and nurses to advance their career, improve clinical outcomes and provide positive patient experience.
The majority of medical students agree that communication skills should be part of their education. For them, the most important communication skill of medical professionals is “listening to patients,” followed by empathy, professionalism, digital skills, and leadership.
The survey, was conducted in December 2022, and included fifty medical students from second and third year at King’s College London coming from India, UK, Egypt, and Ireland. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of several elements that shape quality of communication with patients, and rate them on a scale from 1 to 5. The following were the outcomes.
Vast majoryty of 85% of the students of those who responded to questions, reported that communication skills are important in advancing a medical professional’s career; 77% of them agreed that how doctor’s and nurse’s communicate with their patients improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, while other 23% agreed with somewhat.
In terms of regular trainings or courses as part of the medical curriculum, 61% of the students completely agree, while others neither agree nor disagree, that a subject on communication skills for doctors and nurses should be included in their program of study.
Burnout among medical staff was another question of interest. One third of respondents completely agreed that wellness programs in hospitals can help prevent burnout among medical staff, 46% somewhat agreed with this statement, while others surprisingly answered that they disagree.
Although the number of thirteen respondents, is insufficient to draw broad conclusions on the topic, the survey results show that the vast majority of those who responded, clearly recognized the positive correlation between their communication skills and their career, good medical outcomes and positive patient experiences. Medical educational institutions should reconcider the possibility to include Special training programs or courses on advancing communication skills into their educational program.
PLX Academy will continue to follow and research the field of communication in healthcare in order to improve patient experiences, develop the careers of doctors and other medical staff, and support hospital growth.