Communication and Interpersonal Skills
What this domain tests
Whether you can exchange clinical information accurately, check that the patient understood, and handle emotion, disagreement and cultural expectations professionally.
Core rules
- Use structured tools: SBAR for urgent clinical calls, teach-back for patient education.
- Ask open questions first, then narrow; avoid leading questions when taking a history.
- Use a trained interpreter for consent and complex explanations; a child or a random bystander is not acceptable.
- Acknowledge emotion before giving information; then give information in small chunks and check understanding.
- Document what was discussed, with whom, and what was agreed.
Worked example
A radiographer notices a patient becoming pale and clammy before a contrast study. The SBAR call: Situation - patient pale and diaphoretic before contrast; Background - known hypertension, no allergy recorded; Assessment - possible vasovagal or early reaction, observations attached; Recommendation - request immediate review and confirm whether to proceed. The tool keeps the message short and actionable. Calling to say the patient does not look right delays the response.
Traps that cost marks
- Closing with 'Do you understand?' instead of teach-back.
- Using undifferentiated jargon such as 'we will do a scan of your pipes'.
- Letting a family member interpret during consent.
- Recording 'patient counselled' with no content or outcome.