The Role of Communication Skills and Empathy Workshop for Doctors, Resulting in Better Healthcare Delivery from the Patient’s Perspective

Objective To compare the effectiveness of the communication skills workshop, empathy workshop, and a combined workshop of communication skills and empathy on patient satisfaction. Methodology The current study is a quasi-experimental research conducted at Hitec Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila. Medical officers, postgraduate trainees, and physicians directly involved in patient care participated in the study. The doctors were divided into four groups. One group attended a workshop on empathy, the other on communication skills, one attended a combined workshop, and one served as a control group. The workshops included lectures, handouts, skills, and attitude training via videos and role play. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Doctor Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire (DISQ) from patients (N=240) treated by physicians from each group following the workshop. The Group differences in patient satisfaction were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results Patients reported higher satisfaction when treated by physicians who attended the combined workshop. Furthermore, patients managed by physicians who participated in the communication skills workshop reported higher satisfaction compared to those treated by physicians who attended the empathy workshop alone. Conclusion The findings of the current study highlight the importance of interpersonal skills of physicians in the medical field. These interpersonal skills are essential components of medical practice and play a crucial role in improving patient satisfaction. This ultimately contributes to improved clinical outcomes of patients and overall better healthcare delivery. Therefore, integrating these skills into undergraduate medical education is essential to equip students to use them successfully in clinical settings.