Communication skills training programs improve clinician patient-centeredness, but training approaches are variable and long-term retention is untested¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Psychiatrists who participated in structured communication skills training demonstrated increased patient-centeredness and enhanced competence with open-ended questions and social communication categories. → Zagalo Daniela Mariana 2026 q2 i? Short-term outcomes of communication skills training are positive, but long-term impact on skill retention and actual clinical performance requires further investigation. → Zagalo Daniela Mariana 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Zagalo Daniela Mariana 2026¶

Zagalo Daniela Mariana, Palmieri Cristiana, Resende Noelle, Costa Teresa, de Sousa Rute Dinis, Canhão Helena, Bozza Fernando A. (2026). Towards patient-centered healthcare: a scoping review of soft skills training in medical schools. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09059-0

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports, within its results narrative on communication skills, that structured communication skills training programs "have been shown to improve clinicians' abilities significantly", citing the psychiatrist CST example. No effect size printed; second-hand report, not read here.

"Psychiatrists who participated in CST demonstrated increased patient-centeredness and enhanced competence in using open-ended questions and social communication categories [39]."

Zagalo Daniela Mariana 2026 (2)¶

Zagalo Daniela Mariana, Palmieri Cristiana, Resende Noelle, Costa Teresa, de Sousa Rute Dinis, Canhão Helena, Bozza Fernando A. (2026). Towards patient-centered healthcare: a scoping review of soft skills training in medical schools. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09059-0

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review's challenges analysis states that CST research shows positive short-term outcomes while long-term retention and clinical performance impact "remains an area that requires further investigation". It also notes variable training approaches make effectiveness difficult to evaluate.

"While the existing research on communication skills training programs has demonstrated positive short-term outcomes, the long-term impact on skill retention and actual clinical performance remains an area that requires further investigation to validate their significance in medical education [40, 60]."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Reflective and cognitively oriented CPR approaches show potential for enhancing long-term skill retention, particularly at follow-up — related
• Simulation Based Education Improves Outcomes — a broader claim this one bears on
• Empathy and communication interventions show short-term gains but evidence on persistence over time is inconsistent — related
• Innovative andragogical strategies — simulation, narrative medicine, reflective writing — enhance empathy, compassion, and communication skills in medical students — related
• Short-term, non-longitudinal training programmes pose challenges for estimating long-term skill retention — a broader claim this one bears on
• Controlled GenAI virtual-patient and communication studies reported short-term skill gains, but positive findings were not universal — related
• Evidence on simulation-based leadership training lacks longitudinal follow-up and objective patient-centered outcomes, limiting causal inference — related