Post Graduate Communication skills course for FCPS and MRCP (5th October, 2020)

Post Graduate Communication skills course for FCPS and MRCP was held at Gandhara University on 5th October, 2020. Effective communication forms a vital part of patient’s management. Realizing its importance, a postgraduate course for trainee medical officers was held at Sardar Begum Dental College, as joint venture of Pakistan Society of Physicians and Gandhara University, Peshawar.

The facilitators of the course included Dr. Aleina Badshah, Dr. Awais Naeem, Dr. Samir Khan Kabir and Dr. Jibran Umer Ayub Khan. All of them shared their foreign experience and gave constructive feedback to the participants. It did focus on various aspects of communication like addressing patient concerns, maintaining their welfare and at the same time having sound clinical judgement.

Common scenarios like breaking the bad news, end of life care, obtaining a consent, genetic counselling, breaking confidentiality, drug errors were discussed at length. There was also some focus on history taking of common symptoms that are encountered in clinical setting.

In the end, Chief guest, honorable Vice Chancellor, Gandhara University delivered a speech appreciating the hard work of Dr. Jibran Umer Ayub Khan and all the facilitators. Special applause was given to Dr. Saira Afridi who is always a driving force behind academic activities.  The Vice Chancellor emphasized on effective communication skills being the corner stone of clinical management and suggested that we still need a lot of improvement in this field. Finally, the certificates and shield were distributed amongst the participants, organizers and the faculty with a hope to organize such vital courses in future as well.