Communication in medicine - methods and contexts

Recommended Prerequisites

Have been approved in the course unit of Psychological Medicine, from the 3rd year of the MIM.

Teaching Methods

Classes will start with a period of expository method, contemplating the incentive to ask questions, doubts and comments on the themes, in order to stimulate the participatory debate. Teachers will also use the demonstrative method, of procedures, techniques and strategies. Active and participatory methods will be privileged, such as carrying out practical exercises based on patients’ vignettes and testimonies, role playing exercises, sociometric games, analysis and discussion of excerpts from novels, chronicles, films, series episodes and other resources.

Learning Outcomes

Understand patient centered medicine as a collaborative sharing relationship;

Understand the complementarity between verbal and non-verbal skills in clinical communication (CC) at each stage of the life cycle and with different family members.

Understanding CC as a tool for curing and caring and as a criterion for satisfaction with the provision of care;

Apply good practices in CC in difficult contexts;

Prevent and manage conflict situations and develop skills to deal with problematic behaviors in healthcare settings;

Contribute to a productive multidisciplinary team with individual and group well-being;

Reflect on guidelines and consequences of leader behavior.

Develop skills to identify and prevent progression in the burnout stress continuum.

Acquire presentation skills (written and oral) of a scientific work (form and content).

Acquire notions of communication with the media.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Communication with the patient and his family - specific contexts

Doctor-patient communication (DPC) in the age of person-centered medicine;

Verbal and non-verbal skills;

Empathy and compassion;

DPC throughout the life cycle: child, adolescent, elderly, family;

DPC in difficult contexts: responding to intense emotions; manage uncertainty, risk and error;

Communication of bad news.

2. Communication with other health professionals

Effective communication with other medical specialties and health areas;

Empowrment, leadership and conflict management in a health organization.

3. Stress communication and management (medical student/professional)

Symptoms, risk factors and consequences (personal and institutional) of burnout;

Burnout prevention: cognitive-behavioral therapies, mindfulness and self-compassion therapies.

4. Communication with the scientific community

Publish a scientific article;

Present a poster / oral communication;

Speak well in public

5. Communication with the media

Head Lecturer(s)

Ana Telma Fernandes Pereira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Mini Tests: 20.0%
Assiduidade e participação activa e positiva nas aulas: 20.0%
Exam: 60.0%

Bibliography

- A Macedo, AT Pereira & Madeira N. (Coords.) (2018). Psicologia na Medicina. Lidel.

- Mota Cardoso, R. (2012). Competências Clínicas de Comunicação. Porto: FMUP.

- Kurtz S, Silverman J et al. (2016). Teaching and learning communication skills in medicine. CRC press.

- Silverman J et al. (2016). Skills for communicating with patients. CRC Press.

- Stewart M. et al. (2013). Patient-centered medicine: transforming the clinical method. Radcliffe Publishing.

 - Peter Washer (2010). Clinical Communication Skills. Oxford Core Texts.

- LoboPrabhu SM, Summers R, & Moffic HS (Eds.). (2020). Combating Physician Burnout: A Guide for Psychiatrists. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

- Biswas P (2016). Stress Management & Learning Techniques for Medical Students, Doctors, Dentists. CreateSpace Independent Publishi.

- Day A (2017). How to get research published in journals. Routledge.

- West, R., & Turner, L. H. (2018). Interpersonal Communication. Sage Publications.