Oral and written communication skills in health sciences students at a university in Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Abstract

Communication skills are a universal element of training. This is true of healthcare personnel who, as human beings, act within a personal, family and emotional context. The aim of this paper is to identify the level of communication skills among a group of third and sixth semester students of a surgical instrumentation programme in Bogotá. A mixed design was used; evaluation tools were employed and the two groups of the programme were observed. The main findings showed that the skills of the two groups of students in the programme were acceptable. According to this categorisation, the level of performance was considered to be standard, meaning there were errors in reading comprehension, writing and speaking, spelling, and use of punctuation marks; in addition, the students’ understanding of concepts in verbal, non-verbal and written communication was partial. It is concluded that it is important to consider incorporating activities in the classroom to promote the development of oral and written communication skills, given that healthcare staff need to talk to patients and other staff members, as well as to write notes and reports.