Institute for Doctor-Patient Communication

Initial goals for the Institute on Provider-patient communication:

1. Provide career support for junior investigators interested in patient-provider communication through activities such as mentoring, grant and manuscript reviews, and presentations of works in progress.
2. Form a network within and outside of the University of Pittsburgh community of investigators from which collaborative groups can develop.
3. Develop expertise in methodologies and approaches to patient-provider communication.
4. House and maintain an audiotape registry from which studies on patient-provider communication can access.
5. Provide resources and support to facilitate the performance of preliminary studies by core and affiliate members of the Institute.
6. Improve education in doctor- patient communication skills across all four years of the medical school curriculum.
7. Develop and implement criteria used to assess doctor-patient communication skills in the required evaluation of medical students.
8. Collect resources, best practice examples and techniques for teaching provider-patient communication.