The College of Dentistry University of Basrah organized a workshop on communication skills for dentists for a period of three days from 13/12/2022 till 15/12/2022, In which dentists from various health institutions in Basrah governorate participated.
The first day of the workshop included a lecture given by Dr. Abdel Salam Salih Sultan, expert in communication skills at the Ministry of Health, during which he explained the importance of the dentist learning communication skills with patients because the symptoms of the disease are due to psychological and social reasons more than organic ones, as they need good treatment from the doctor before a good diagnosis of the disease or medical prescription.
He defined the role of verbal and non-verbal communication skills in dentistry, which is patient-centered, in order to provide high-quality medical care, including a good reception of the patient, welcoming the patient, active listening, giving the patient sufficient information about his disease, and identifying the pathological history of the disease.
Dr. Sawsan Issa Habib said, "The patient often expresses his thoughts and expectations with non-verbal signs or indirect phrases, and the doctor should deal with them with great interest early In the interview, and a serious danger lies in neglecting these messages.
The doctor's non-verbal skills, which include body posture, doctor's movement, eye contact, tone of voice, tone of speech, and facial expressions, were identified.
She pointed to the benefits of active listening In hearing patients' stories, measuring the patient's feelings and suffering, the accuracy of observation, and capturing verbal and non-verbal cues.
And showed the Importance of summarizing during the interview the information provided by the patient as a means of mutual understanding between the doctor and the patient.
