Training Future Health Professionals in Communication Skills

Introduction

The communication process presupposes the sharing of information between at least two actors: the sender, who encodes and transmits the message, and the receiver, who decodes and receives the message. Naturally, it is also of paramount importance that both master the same code. The message can take different forms and an effective communicator should use not only verbal communication, in its oral and/or written format, but also non-verbal communication, such as gestures, facial expressions, and body movements. The sender can choose different communication channels, such as face-to-face, telephone, or e-mail, and always must consider that there are many factors that interfere with the clarity of the message being transmitted. The reception of the message by the communicative partner can be conditioned by cultural differences, educational level, and physical conditions, such as deafness, to state just a few. Furthermore, keeping the sender informed about the success of the information is essential, and the receiver should always provide feedback to the communication, whether verbal or non-verbal (McCorry & Mason, 2011). However, the communication process is far from being simple and linear and represents a huge challenge for the society.

Communicating effectively is essential to any human interaction, and in the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients it is especially relevant, because communication difficulties in these contexts can affect the quality of healthcare delivery. Research has consistently shown that when communication is effective, patients understand their own problems better, are more satisfied with the care they receive, and adhere better to treatments (Haskard Zolnierek & Dimatteo, 2009; Maguire & Pitceathly, 2002; Uitterhoeve et al., 2010).

Communication in health refers to the use of communicative strategies to inform and influence the decisions of individuals/communities, with a view to promote health and prevent disease. This generic and broad definition allows the inclusion of the different contexts in which health communication plays an important role (Freitas, Costa, Arriaga & Santos, 2019). Communicating in health contexts implies not only the relationship between health professionals and patients and their families, but also the relationship between different health professionals. Although the literature about communication skills training is mainly focused on doctors and /or nurses, it is necessary to consider a more comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective on patient care. Thus, it is essential to also train other health professionals towards a culture of communication associated with the provision of health care, in order to improve teamwork and the quality of healthcare services (Ammentorp et al., 2014; Guraya & Barr, 2018).

In addition, communicating in health can also refer to sharing health information with the general community, internal communication in health organizations, and public interventions by health professionals, among others. The communication skills of health professionals are one of the determining factors of health literacy promotion and, thus, in addition to clinical skills, health professionals must master the verbal and non-verbal communicative process, and be capable of guiding and enhancing people's decision-making process, especially in situations of low levels of health literacy (Freitas, Costa, Arriaga & Santos, 2019).

In addition to the benefits that the proper use of communicative skills brings to patients, the literature also describes the benefits of effective communication for health professionals. According to Maguire and Pitceathly (2002), health professionals who communicate more effectively identify patients' problems more accurately, have greater job satisfaction and, consequently, lower levels of stress.