C: Communication skills competencies: definitions and a teaching toolbox

nication skills correlate with improved health care outcomes. International medical organisations re-quire competency in communication skills. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educa-tion (ACGME) developed a toolbox for assessing this competency and 5 others, yet none initially for teaching these skills. PURPOSE AND METHODS The original focus in the development of the ACGME competencies was evaluation. This paper represents a significant step toward defining methods for teaching communica-tion skills competencies. A total of 16 medical edu-cation leaders from medical schools worldwide, participating in the 2003 Harvard Macy Institute Program for Physician Educators, worked together to: (1) further define the ACGME competency in inter-personal and communication skills; (2) delineate teaching strategies for each level of medical educa-tion; and (3) create a teaching toolbox to integrate communication skills competencies into medical curricula. Four subgroups defined subcompetencies, identified teaching strategies for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate medical training and brought their work to the larger group. The expan-ded communication competencies and teaching strategies were determined by a consensus of the larger group, presented to 80 Harvard Macy Scholars and Faculty for further discussion, then finalised by consensus. CONCLUSION The teaching toolbox expands the ACGME core communication competencies, adds 20 subcompetencies and connects these competencies to teaching strategies at each level of medical train-ing. It represents the collaboration and consensus of a diverse international group of medical education leaders in a variety of medical specialities and insti-tutions, all involved in teaching communication skills. The toolbox is applicable globally across dif-ferent settings and specialities, and is sensitive to different definitions of health care