AN INVESTIGATION INTO MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TO AND SELF-ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS TRAINING AT HUE UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY, HUE UNIVERSITY

Background: Communication Skills (CS) in Medicine has been considered one of the most fundamental competencies to be required of medical professionals. However, there is not guarantee that students fully grasp the usefulness of CS for clinical practice. The objectives of our study were therefore to (1) describe Year 2 to Year 5 medical students’ attitudes towards CS training and its associations, and to (2) investigate Year 2 to Year 5 medical students’ self-assessment of CS training and effective medical CS training. Methods: This is a non-randomized control trial study, using the Communication Skills Attitudes Scale (CSAS) designed by Rees from Nottingham University and Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (G-KCSF) designed by Rider from Harvard University. Results: In general, students showed positive attitudes towards CS training (positive attitude scale (PAS): 3.55 (0.5); negative attitude scale (NAS): 2.77 (0.43). Females showed higher scores on the PAS than males (p<0.001) and lower scores on the NAS (p<0.001). The second- or third-year medical students showed higher scores on the PAS (p<0.001) than their fourth- and fifth-year counterparts. The scores of all essential elements of CS were highest among the second-year students, decreasing among the third- and fourth-year students before increasing again among the fifth-year students. The students who had medical CS training scored higher on the PAS, lower on the NAS, and on all essential elements of CS. Conclusions: Medical students at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy expressed positive attitudes towards CS training. Training medical students in CS was able to improve their attitudes and CS.