COMMUNICATION ANXIETY WITH PATIENTS AMONG THIRD- YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY AND SOME RELATED FACTORS
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Medical communication is an essential skill that helps students build doctorpatient relationships and improve their learning outcomes. However, third-year students often experience anxiety when they first begin clinical training, which directly impacts their studies. Objectives: To assess the current state of patient communication anxiety and some related factors among third-year medical students at Thai Nguyen University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Materials and methods: Cross – sectional descriptive study was conducted on 345 third-year medical students studying at the school in the 2024-2025 academic year. Results: 44.1% of students felt that communicating with patients was “Not easy,” while 55.9% felt it was “Normal – Easy.” The proportion of students interacting with 4–6 patients per clinical session was lower in the “Not easy” group than in the “Normal – Easy” group (26.3% vs. 38.9%, p = 0.023). The “Not easy” group also had higher scores for information retrieval and verification obstacles compared to the other group (35.5 ± 6.1 vs. 34.1 ± 6.9, p = 0.041) and significantly higher scores for socio–emotional obstacles (21.3 ± 5.2 vs. 19.1 ± 6.4, p = 0.001). Female students and students from ethnic minorities perceived communication as more difficult. Conclusion: Communication anxiety is common among medical students during their clinical training, particularly related to the number of patients they interact with and socio–emotional factors. Therefore, early assessments are necessary to provide appropriate support for students.
Keywords
Communication anxiety, communication, medical students, clinical practice
Article Details
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