Rediscovering the wheel - teaching communication skills using video taped clinical consultations in specialist training

Communication skills are inevitably used during the clinical consultation i n medicine. Unlike trainees in general practice, trainees in specialist and general medicine are not formally trained in communications skills. We use d methods for training communication skills developed in general practice a nd videoed consultations with simulated patients, adapted for neurology, an d found these to be valued by our trainees. In specialist medicine we need to begin exploring how to help our trainees learn communication skills; perhaps our colleagues in general practice can show us where to start?