Exploring Attitudes toward Communication Skills Training and Their Impact on Patient-Centeredness among Medical Students in Sri Lanka: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction. Communication skills (CS) play a paramount role in medical students’ (MS) interaction with patients. They are essential when approaching a patient holistically to provide comprehensive care with the aim of both treating an illness and improving patient satisfaction. However, there seems to be a deficiency in communication skills training (CST) for students in Sri Lanka. Enhancing CS at an early stage will give rise to patient-centered doctors in the future, thus augmenting patient care. This study aimed to evaluate the level and patterns of attitude toward (CST) and the weight of patient-centeredness on such attitudes. Materials and Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires among MS in the final 2 years. The Communication Skills Attitude Scale and Patient–Practitioner Orientation Scale were used to determine attitudes toward CST and patient-centeredness, respectively. Independent sample t-tests and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to evaluate intervariable relationships. A statistical significance of $p<0.05$ was used. Results. Students had high positive attitudes (mean 3.80) and lesser negative attitudes (mean 2.16) toward CST, in general. A greater positive attitude was associated with prior attendance to a CST session, female gender, and patient-centeredness. Female students and final-year students showed higher levels of patient-centeredness and also scored more on the caring subscale. There was a significant association between the sharing subscore and a positive attitude toward CST. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that improving patient-centeredness among MS via a CST program would enhance the essential CS required of them. Integration of such a program as a formal subject into the medical curriculum of Sri Lanka, both at the beginning and latter part of the undergraduate course, would lead to better patient-centeredness, thus leading to improved patient care.