Impact of postgraduate training on communication skills teaching: a controlled study

BMC Medical Education

Table 2 Coding list for the six videotaped clinical scenarios

Code	Communication items	Inpatient			Outpatient
		Explaining	Breaking bad news	Discussing with a family	Explaining a diagnosis	Managing time	Managing a difficult consultation
1	Announcing the duration of the consultation					x
2	Establishing initial rapport	x	x	x	x	x	x
3	Setting the medical agenda	x	x	x	x	x	x
4	Introducing each other			x
5	Negotiating the agenda			x	x	x	x
6	Announcing		x
7	Exploring patient’s perspectives	x	x	x	x	x	x
8	Exploring patient’s understanding of what has happened						x
9	Summarizing the context	x	x	x	x	x	x
10	Informing	x	x	x	x	x	x
11	Clarifying roles, rules			x
12	Using clear language/no jargon	x	x	x	x		x
13	Chunking and checking (by open-ended questioning, reflecting, silence)	x	x	x	x	x	x
14	Empathy/legitimating	x	x	x	x	x	x
15	Making information circulate between participants			x
16	Being supportive	x	x	x	x	x	x
17	Summarizing	x	x	x	x	x	x
18	Planning the future	x	x	x	x	x	x
19	Remaining calm			x			x
20	Checking patient’s understanding at the end	x	x	x	x
21	Non verbal	x	x	x	x	x	x
22	Defining the limits			x			x
23	Negotiating a common solution with the patient			x			x
24	Maintaining the frame					x	x
25	Acknowledging the problem						x
26	Apologizing						x

ISSN: 1472-6920