Features of communicative competence among surgeons and physicians

Statement of the problem. The article provides a review of international and Russian sources on communicative competence of doctors. Notable are inconsistencies between modern requirements to the quality of medical care and the real level of communicative competence among doctors, as well as difficulties experienced by doctors in communicating with patients and their relatives. The purpose of the article is to analyze features of communicative competence in surgeons and physicians. Research methodology comprises the activity approach: principle of determinism, principle of the unity of consciousness and activity (L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leontiev, V.A. Petrovsky D.B. Elkonin, et al.); the system approach: principle of systematicity, principle of development (B. G. Ananyev, A.Y. Varga, B.F. Lomov, I.M. Sechenov, et al.); the subject-activity approach: principle of relation between individual and social (K.A. Abulkhanova, A.V. Brushlinsky, A.L. Zhuravlev, S.L. Rubinstein, E.A. Sergienko, V.L. Slobodchikov, et al.). Research was conducted at a medical institution in Krasnoyarsk. The sample consisted of 20 physicians and 30 surgeons, giving a total of 50. All the doctors work at hospitals with patients. Their period of service ranges from five years and above. The following methods were applied during the research: the individual typological questionnaire created by L. N. Sobchik and the test on communicative and organizational aptitudes created by V.V. Sinyavsky and V.A. Fedoroshin. Research results. The research showed that surgeons possess a greater aptitude for types of behavior corresponding to leadership, nonconformity, conflict, and individualism. Physicians are more prone to types of behavior corresponding to individualism, conformism, and compromise. This suggests that the latter have a greater aptitude for interacting with patients in a productive manner. At the same time, the majority of doctors of both types (over 63 %) had ‘low’ and ‘below average’ level of communicative and organizational aptitudes. This indicates possible difficulties in communication with patients, which can be expressed in either a lack of desire to initiate communication or in avoidance of frequent direct contact. Conclusion. It has been concluded that one of the necessary conditions for effective ‘doctor and patient’ relationships is a well-developed communicative competence among doctors. Doctors experience less stress at work if they are able to efficiently communicate with patients, and, consequently, this reduces the risk of burnout.