Communication skills among Ardabil Medical University students and its association with demographic characteristics
Shervin Tabrizian, Behnam Molaei, Mahzad Yusefian, Roghayeh Aslanian, Firouz Amani
Abstract
Background: Communication skills (CS) are one of the elements of generic skills that are essential among university students. CS are referred to as hearing and speech relation between people and its feedback. Medical students as the main members of the medical personal need to acquire CS in order to communicate effectively and purposefully with patients. The weakness of communication between the medical staff can lead to medical mistakes and reduce the patient’s quality of care. So, the aim of this study was to determine the level of CS among Ardabil Medical University students and its association with demographic characteristics. Methods: This descriptive–analytical study was conducted on 250 medical students who were randomly selected from Ardabil Medical University students in 2018. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that included demographic data and interpersonal CS test (34 items) with a range of 34–170. Data analysis was done using statistical methods in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Results: Of all students, 62.3% were girls and the rest were boys. The average age of students was 23.7 ± 2.3 years. Of students, 54.7% had moderate CS and the others had high levels of CS. The average score of student CS was 98 ± 14 and there was a significant relationship between gender and CS levels. Of students, 36.7% also had a history of participation in individual skills workshops. Conclusion: The results indicated that students’ CS were in moderate and girl students had a higher level of CS than boys.