ABSTRACT
C ommunication skills are unlikely to be perfect and may deteriorate with time for the practising clinician. Effective communication is essential to the current practice of medicine . Over the last 1 5 years it has been increasingly recognised as a core skill for clinicians. This has had an impact upon their interaction with patients but, of no less importance, it has influenced their contribution to the healthcare team settings in which they work, and the medical community as a whole . A fundamental change in medical culture in this area has been the recognition and acceptance of the fact that the way in which health professionals communicate, on all levels, can be enhanced, irrespective of the innate and learned abilities they already possess . This has been illustrated in the last 1 0 years with the inclusion of communication skills teaching in all undergraduate education, and a complete change in the educational processes surrounding the teaching and observing of doctor-patient interaction.
