Communication Skills Training: Patients

There are many communication-related skills that are of potential importance to patients, but one of the most significant is oral communication skills that may be used in a medical interview with a physician. Over the last 40 years, thousands of articles have been published about physicians' communication, including reports of interventions designed to improve their communication with patients. In contrast, less than 50 articles have been published on the effects of interventions designed to enhance patients' communication with physicians. The following sections summarize key aspects of the research into patient communication skills interventions and identify a few challenges facing researchers working in this area.