Doctors need training courses in communicat...( when doctors adopt a patient-centred ap...),Health

when doctors adopt a patient-centred approach to treatment and care. Patients are more likely to comply with the treatment, there is better control of diabetes and hypertension, patients are more satisfied and both patient and doctor have a greater understanding of the symptoms and side-effects.

Prof Fallowfield said that the results from this study proved that a carefully designed three-day course which contained training on behaviour, understanding, perception and emotion could not only make doctors adopt better communicating styles, but could also alter their attitudes and beliefs, thereby increasing the chances of them continuing to use their more patient-centred skills in the clinic.

She said: Time and experience alone does not help cancer doctors to overcome the difficulties they have in communicating with patients, with patients relatives, and with professional colleagues. However a three-day training course produced significant subjective and objective changes in communication skills. We hope that our results can contribute to the many calls for improvements in this core clinical skill. A centrally-funded programme in communication skills needs to be established. To date we rely on the cancer charities supported by industry to fund this type of thing. It isn't good enough to wait for medical school training to filter through senior doctors, who are the primary role models for juniors, need training.

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Contact: Emma Mason
44-7711-296-986
Federation of European Cancer Societies
21-Mar-2002

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