Trainees' perception of education in communication and professionalism across two programs in two countries

Background: Different health care systems impact on medical education. Objective: We aim to describe the differences and similarities in the perceptions of pediatric residents on education in professionalism and communication skills across two countries. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of pediatric residents in the United States and Singapore. A 108-item written questionnaire on perceptions regarding education in communication/professionalism was administered. A five-point Likert scale was used for each attribute in the survey. Quantitative analysis was performed using chi-square test. Results: Response rate was 65.9% (89/135). In the domain of professionalism, residents from both countries ranked shared decision making as the most important attribute (Singapore vs. USA: 26/50 (52.0%) vs. 19/39 (48.7%), p = 0.76). In contrast, there was a difference in ranking of the most important attribute in communication between the two countries, with dealing with difficult family and patient being most important for Singapore trainees (30/50(60.0%) vs. 8/39 (20.5%), p < 0.001). Direct observation and feedback and role modeling by seniors were the most common teaching methods in both centers. Main barriers in learning were high workload (55/89 (61.8%)) and time constraints (53/89 (59.6%)) in both countries. Promoters of teaching these competencies were similar, with role modeling by senior staff rated as most important. Conclusions: This investigation demonstrates more differences in the perception of how communication is taught compared to professionalism across two countries. Barriers and promoters to teaching were similar across these two countries, with role modeling being an important approach to teaching communication and professionalism across both countries.