Teaching communication skills in clinical settings: comparing two applications of a comprehensive program with standardized and real patients.

Background: Communication is important for the quality of clinical practice, and programs have been implemented to improve healthcare providers' communication skills. However, the consistency of programs teaching communication skills has received little attention, and debate exists about the application of acquired skills to real patients. This study inspects whether (1) results from a communication program are replicated with different samples, and (2) results with standardized patients apply to interviews with real patients.

[Teaching doctor-patient communication - a proposal in practice].

Traditionally, doctor-patient communication was considered a matter of <> and <>, and a topic for informal learning. Recently, studies have shown the importance of communication skills in medical practice. Doctor-patient communication skills, such as knowing how to listen, how to observe, and how to inform are today considered important components of Medical Education, although they are often difficult to integrate in Medical Curricula.

Learning clinical communication skills: outcomes of a program for professional practitioners.

Objective: To assess the effects of a communication skills program on professional practitioners' performance and self-confidence in clinical interviewing.

Methods: Twenty-five health professionals took 3 months of basic communication skills followed by 3 months of advanced communication skills. An additional quarter dealt with self-awareness and communication in special situations.

[Nasogastric tube feeding in bulimia. Controlled study with follow-up at 3 months].

Objective: Few effective treatments are available for severe forms of bulimia nervosa, which are accompanied by malnutrition, anxiety, and depressive mood. We previously showed in an open study that nasogastric tube feeding (TF) reduced binges and purging in patients with anorexia nervosa.

Methods: This prospective randomized trial compared bulimia patients in two treatment groups: one group received TF at home, together with psychotherapy, nutritional counseling and a support group while the control group received only psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, and a support group.