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UKM Medical Graduates’ Perception of their Communication Skills during Housemanship

Original article

Abstrak

Keupayaan bertutur dengan pesakit dan saudara-mara tidak wujud secara semulajadi, lebih sukar lagi bagi doktor muda untuk meletakkan diri dalam situasi pesakit yang rumit. Satu kajian ‘keratan rentas’ telah dilakukan untuk mengenalpasti kebolehan berkomunikasi graduan tahun 2004 Fakulti Perubatan, UKM semasa mereka menjalani posting sebagai ‘pegawai perubatan siswazah’ di hospital seluruh Malaysia. Borang maklumbalas yang piawai digunakan untuk mengumpul data. Lima puluh sembilan peratus graduan mengakui mereka mempunyai kemahiran komunikasi yang sangat baik dengan pesakit, manakala 69% graduan mengakui mempunyai kemahiran komunikasi yang sangat baik dengan kakitangan sokongan dan 88% dengan rakan sebaya. Walaubagaimanapun, 38% dan 41% mengakui mereka mempunyai kemahiran komunikasi yang baik dengan pihak atasan dan keluarga pesakit, masing-masing. Hanya 22% daripada graduan mengakui bahawa mereka mempunyai kemahiran yang baik di dalam menyampaikan berita buruk, manakala 50% dan 81% mengakui mereka mempunyai kemahiran kaunseling pesakit dan pengambilan persetujuan untuk prosedur, masing-masing. Oleh itu disarankan perancang kurikulum memberi penekanan yang sewajarnya dalam aspek kemahiran komunikasi untuk bakal doktor di masa akan datang.

Abstract

The art of talking to patients and their relatives does not come naturally to most of us and the ability to put oneself in the patients’ predicament is difficult particularly for the young doctors. To identify the communication abilities of the young doctors, a cross sectional study was carried out on 32 house officers who graduated from UKM in 2004 during their house jobs at different hospitals in Malaysia. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data. Fifty nine percent respondents claimed that they had communicated very well with patients while 69% with support staff and 88% with peers. On the other hand 38% and 41% of the respondents claimed they communicated very well with their superiors and families of patients. Only 22% of the graduates’ skills of communication in breaking bad news were very well, while 50% and 81% were very well in counselling patients and taking consent for procedures. Curriculum planners need to emphasize the importance of developing good communication skills in all aspects for the future doctors.