Personality differences in communication skills and attitudes in a sample of Italian medical students

Background: Communication skills and relational attitudes are widely recognized as fundamental elements of medical education that can be supported by educational intervention aimed at increasing students attention to and awareness of their emotions, attitudes and behaviour in the medical conversation (Smith, 2004; Benbassat e Baumal, 2005). Summary of Work: The aim of this research is to study individual differences in the communication style of medicine students. 21 role playing of third, fourth and fifth year students were videotaped and analyzed with RIAS and Verona Network on Sequence Analysis and classified regarding the patient-centredness. Personality profiles were assessed with a set of questionnaires (IRI, Self Monitoring Scale, PPOS, and a Personality Scale). Summary of Results: Younger students show a more patient-centered communicative behavior and a deeper exploration of emotions; older students have a patient-centered attitude, without exploring emotions, students in the middle have a more complex profile. These differences in communication style are linked to specific personality differences. Discussion and Conclusions: Some aspects of empathy (Perspective Taking) and caring were linked to a more patient-centered behavior. High emotional control was linked to a less patient-oriented interviewing style. Take-home messages: First: it is possible to identify specific differences in personality linked to communication style as measured by objective measures. Second: to better understand how attitudes are linked to behaviours in medical communication it is necessary to identify specific facet of the general personality dimensions evaluated by the usual assessing instruments