REAL-PATIENT EVALUATION OF COMMUNICATION-SKILLS TEACHING FOR GP REGISTRARS

Background. Five thousand eight hundred and eighty-five patient-comple ted questionnaires were used to evaluate the effectiveness of an inter personal skills module designed for a vocational training programme fo r GPs. Objectives. It was anticipated that patient-based assessments w ould detect a significant improvement in the interpersonal skills of G P Registrars who undertook the module. Method. A quasi-experimental de sign using an intervention and control group (comprising 68 GP Registr ars) was used to monitor the outcomes of the interpersonal skills modu le. Results. Patient ratings of interpersonal skills were significantl y higher for those GP Registrars who participated in the interpersonal skills module. Conclusions. Patient-based assessments are a useful ev aluation method for assessing the quality of the doctor-patient relati onship.