Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Health Care
Domain 2: Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Health Care. This domain tests the communication cycle, listening skills, structured handover, and how you speak to patients, families and colleagues while protecting confidentiality.
The communication cycle
Sender → message → channel → receiver → feedback, with barriers at every step. Barriers include jargon, noise, language, fear, pain, hearing loss and hurry. Remove them with simple words, a quiet room, an interpreter and teach-back: ask the patient to repeat instructions in their own words.
Verbal and non-verbal skills
- Speak slowly, at eye level, in short sentences; check understanding.
- Open questions gather information; closed questions confirm it.
- Active listening: face the speaker, nod, restate, clarify, do not interrupt.
- Non-verbal cues: posture, tone, facial expression, safe touch; respect personal space and gender preferences.
- Empathy, not sympathy: say 'You seem worried about this report' rather than 'Do not worry, everything will be fine'.
Handover with SBAR
Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. Use it at every shift change and referral, and write it in the record.
Communicating with special groups
Announce yourself to a visually impaired patient; face a hard-of-hearing patient and speak clearly without shouting; use play and the parent's presence for a child; give written or picture support to a patient with speech difficulty; never ask a child to interpret for a parent.
Worked example
Handover: 'Mr Patil, 62, bed 4, day one after hernia surgery. He has been breathless for 20 minutes. Pulse 104, BP 130/84, SpO2 90% on room air, breathing 26 per minute. I sat him up and started oxygen at 2 litres. Please review him now.' Reasoning: one-line situation, relevant background, measured findings instead of a guess, and a specific request.
Traps
- Guessing a diagnosis in handover instead of reporting data.
- Discussing a patient in a lift or corridor.
- Promising a cure, or hiding a mistake.