Confidence and Use of Communication Skills in Medical Students

Well-designed interventions can improve the communication skills of physicians. Since the understanding of the current situation is essential for designing effective interventions, this study was performed to determine medical interns’ confidence and use of communication skills. This descriptive-analytical study was performed in spring 2013 within 3 branches of Islamic Azad University (Tehran, Mashhad, and Yazd), on 327 randomly selected interns. Data gathering instrument was a questionnaire with 14 items for confidence and 17 items for use of communication skills. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics as well as Spearman and Mann- Whitney U tests. Students’ confidence and use of communication skills was evaluated moderate. There was a significant positive correlation between students’ confidence and use of communication skills (r=0.42, p=0.001). Male students reported higher scores for confidence and use of communication skills compared to female, but this was not significant (p=0.055 and p=0.292, respectively). Considering significant correlation between confidence and use of communication skills, designing educational interventions is recommended for development of confidence and resulting use of communication skills in medical students.