Evaluation of the impact of an intervention on the communication skills of first-year pediatric residents

Introduction: Communication is a basic competence in medical education. It requires knowledge, attitudes and skills that can be taught, learned and evaluated during the training process. Objective: To explore if the implementation of a specific intervention improves the communication skills of first-year pediatric residents. Population: 23 first-year pediatric resident physicians from a pediatric hospital were included. Material and methods: Prospective study of impact evaluation, before and after type (within-subject control). A video recording of a medical consultation was made, with the prior informed consent of the participants. Two researchers independently assessed performance in communicational competence using the CICAA scale, an instrument designed and validated for this purpose. In an instance of feedback, each physician observed their recording and received feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. Subsequently, a video recording of another consultation and a new assessment was made using the CICAA scale, in order to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Results: The total score on the CICAA scale prior to the intervention, presented a median of 16.4 (IIC 13-20) and after it a median value of 31.1 (IIC 27-36) (p <0 , 01). Conclusion: An intervention based on critical and objective observation (CICAA scale), self-observation of medical consultations, together with constructive feedback, had a positive impact on the communication skills of first-year pediatric residents.