See, Do, Teach? A Review of Contemporary Literature and Call to Action for Communication Skills Teaching in Urology.

Objective: To assess the current state of published literature on communication skills teaching in urology to inform future directions for research and teaching. Excellent patient-physician communication skills increase understanding of medical conditions, facilitate shared decision-making regarding treatment planning, improve clinical outcomes, and decrease lawsuits. Surgical and procedure-based subspecialties, including urology, have generally been slow to incorporate formal communication skills teaching into curricula for postgraduate trainees.

Two words to improve physician-patient communication: what else?

The medical interview is the physician's initial and perhaps most important diagnostic procedure, but physicians vary in their abilities and skills in physician-patient communication. Information gathering, relationship building, and patient education are the 3 essential functions of the medical interview. A physician-centered interview using a biomedical model can impede disclosure of problems and concerns.

Investigation of a brief teaching encounter using standardized patients: teaching residents alcohol screening and intervention.

Objective: To investigate a brief teaching intervention using standardized patients (SPs) trained to improve residents' detection and advising of problem drinkers.

Design: Pretest-posttest design assessing resident behavior and skills.

Subjects: Nineteen internal medicine residents in a University Hospital General Internal Medicine Clinic.