Patients’ Satisfaction with Medical Residents’Communication Skills at the Largest Teaching and Treatment Center in North West Iran in 2016

Background: Given that the capability to build an effective relationship with patients has been reported as a strong predictor of physicians’ professional achievements, this study was intended to assess patients’ satisfaction with medical residents’ communication skills at the largest teaching and treatment center in North West Iran in 2016. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. Using the valid and reliable Persian version of the patient satisfaction questionnaire, 488 patients assessed communication skills of 198 medical residents, using a seven-point Likert scale, from “poor to fair” to “outstanding”. Data were analyzed using STATA, V 13 for descriptive, co relational, one way ANOVA and regression analyses. Results: The mean of patients’normalized overall satisfaction score with medical residents’ communication skills was 48.8 ± 18 (out of 100). Patients’ satisfaction with 6 of the 10 considered to assess skills was less than the median score of the statistical population. The relationship between patients’ overall satisfaction score with their educational, income, and socio-economic level unlike with their gender and residential area was statistically significant. Conclusions: In this study, patients’ overall satisfaction with medical residents’ patient-physician communication skills was moderate. It is recommended that training as well as evaluation of communication skills should be a pivotal part of residents’ formal curriculum.