This work contains some training methods that will help doctors improve their communication skills and cope with uncertainty and behavioral barriers. These methods have been successfully applied to the training of students and postgraduates. Doctors who want to improve their skills and abilities should be sure that the seminar or course they attend contains three components: cognitive input, modeling and working out key skills.
Effective methods include the following: providing an analysis of communication deficiencies, their causes, as well as possible consequences for patients and doctors. It is obligatory to provide a report on the steps and actions that need to be taken to overcome these shortcomings. It is also necessary to be able to demonstrate the skills that the student should learn, their usefulness and value. A student should be able to practice these skills in conditions of complete safety and control. Finally, it is required to have the skill of effective feedback about your performance and about the reasons for emotional blocking.
The courses should contain detailed handouts or short lectures that give complete information about possible shortcomings in communicating with patients. Teachers should demonstrate the necessary skills in practice, using video or audio recordings of real consultations. After the demonstration, the teacher should work with the audience to find out their opinion on a particular question. To get rid of the blocking behavior, it is necessary to simulate situations in which the doctor communicates with a real patient. The simulation should be realistic, so that the doctor is ready for various unpleasant situations in the future and knows the strategies of behavior (Myrick & Willoughby, 2019). Thus, the acquisition of new skills that contribute to reducing the likelihood of emotional blockage is very important for doctors.
Reference
Myrick, J. G., & Willoughby, J. F. (2019). Educated but anxious: How emotional states and education levels combine to influence online health information seeking. Health informatics journal, 25(3), 649-660. Web.