A survey of communication skills teaching at medical school

Communication is an essential component of surgical practice. Awareness of its importance is increasing among surgeons due to both the association between litigation and poor communication and recent requirements for obtaining informed consent. The General Medical Council has stated that medical students should have acquired and demonstrated their proficiency in communication by the end of their undergraduate education. Furthermore, communication skills assessment is now a pass/fail component of the intercollegiate MRCS examination of the surgical royal colleges.