Table 4.
Statistically significant CSAS questions comparing within-group presurvey and postsurvey of intervention and control participants.
| QUESTION | PRE | POST | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention participants | ||||
| Q4 median [IQR] | Developing my communication skills is just as important as developing my knowledge of medicine | 4.50 [4.00–5.00] | 5.00 [5.00–5.00] | .037 |
| Q5 median [IQR] | Learning communication skills has helped or will help me respect patients | 5.00 [4.00–5.00] | 5.00 [5.00–5.00] | .037 |
| Q12 median [IQR] | Learning communication skills is fun | 4.00 [3.00–4.00] | 4.00 [4.00–4.25] | .006 |
| Q14 median [IQR] | Learning communication skills has helped or will help me respect my colleagues | 4.00 [4.00–5.00] | 5.00 [5.00–5.00] | .003 |
| Q17 median [IQR] | Communication skills teaching would have a better image if it sounded more like a science subject | 2.00 [1.75–2.25] | 2.00 [1.00–2.00] | .020 |
| Q20 median [IQR] | I find it hard to admit to having some problems with my communication skills | 2.50 [2.00–3.00] | 2.00 [1.75–2.00] | .006 |
| Q21 median [IQR] | I think it is useful to learn communication skills during my medical degree | 5.00 [4.00–5.00] | 5.00 [5.00–5.00] | .048 |
| Q24 median [IQR] | I find it difficult to take communication skills learning seriously | 2.00 [1.75–2.00] | 1.50 [1.00–2.00] | .048 |
| Control Participants | ||||
| Q3 median [IQR] | Nobody is going to fail their medical degree for having poor communication skills | 2.00 [2.00–3.75] | 3.00 [2.00–4.00] | .006 |
| Q11 median [IQR] | Communication skills teaching states the obvious and then complicates it | 2.00 [1.25–2.75] | 2.00 [2.00–3.00] | .037 |
| Q17 median [IQR] | Communication skills teaching would have a better image if it sounded more like a science subject | 2.00 [2.00–3.00] | 2.00 [2.00–3.00] | .037 |
| Q18 median [IQR] | When applying for medicine, I thought it was a good idea to learn communication skills | 4.00 [3.25–5.00] | 4.00 [2.25–4.00] | .011 |
| Q19 median [IQR] | I do not need good communication skills to be a doctor | 1.00 [1.00–1.00] | 1.00 [1.00–2.00] | .048 |
| Q20 median [IQR] | I find it hard to admit to having problems with my communication skills | 3.00 [2.00–4.00] | 2.00 [2.00–4.00] | .037 |
P-value significant if < .05. Abbreviations: CSAS, Communication Skills Attitude Scale; IQR, interquartile range.