Medical students urged to improve communications skills

SUNGAI BULOH, Nov 2 (Bernama) – Local medical students have been urged to improve their communication skills in preparation for their careers.

Deputy director-general of Health (Medicine) Datuk Dr Azman Abu Bakar said the move was necessary so that there would not be any miscommunication with patients.

“We want medical students to communicate effectively with patients...to listen to what the patient wants and find a solution,” he told reporters after launching the hypnodontic clinic at the Dentistry Faculty in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here today.

On the clinic, Dr Azman said it was the first of its kind in Asia and was an effort to tackle the public’s fear of dental treatment.

Through it, he said, patients would be given counselling before they begin the treatment process.

“Some patients are afraid of dental treatment, so through this clinic, trained doctors will handle these patients to lessen their fear and phobia so that they can undergo the dental treatment well,” he said.

--BERNAMA