Teaching Communication Skills Programme in Basrah Medical College: A new curriculum and students-oriented evaluation and feedback

Objective: To elicit the opinion of students about various aspects of teaching and learning of communication skills. Method: The questionnaire-based study was conducted at the Basrah Medical College, Basra, Iraq, for the first year medical students, academic year 2016-2017. All the students of the class were included. Data was collected using a questionnaire that explored students' opinion regarding the curriculum related to the communication skills programme, like level of satisfaction with the teaching methods, the important information they had received during the course, their perception of the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. Data were analysed to quantify the students' views and opinions on specific points. Results: Of the 100 students approached, 95(95%) responded. Overall, 69(72.6%) students showed high degree of satisfaction; 52(54.7%) mentioned the skill of listening as one of the most important things they had learned, which was associated with emphasis on patient's narration 41(43.2%). In terms of programme's strength, 38(40%) students identified the ability to knowing how to deal with patients, while, among the weaknesses, 25(26%) students pointed out reliance on theoretical lecture and lack of practice. The gender of the students was not considered. Conclusion:Teaching communication skills to first year medical students was found to be successful because of intensive preparation, working as a team, consulting international experts, students' positive interaction and high satisfaction rate.