Professional Communication Training for Doctors

Professional Communication Training for Doctors is organized by DGHO Service GmbH and will be held on Nov 24, 2025 at Conference Center Kolpinghaus Munich Central GmbH, Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

Overview:
The challenges of communicating with patients are significant. Especially during the phase of cancer diagnosis, patients are under so much stress that their attention span is significantly limited. Nevertheless, complex information often needs to be conveyed in a short space of time. This requires responding to patients' needs in a structured and empathetic manner, finding answers to difficult questions, and providing honest prognostic assessments without dashing legitimate hopes. While regular continuing medical education is standard, it is widely assumed that communicating with patients is a personal skill that one either "has" or doesn't have. However, it is well documented that communication is an excellently trainable skill. What's more, patient-centered communication is proven to be time-effective and reduces workload in challenging situations.

This communication course offers physicians specializing in hematology and oncology an efficient way to improve their personal communication skills for everyday professional life. It doesn't matter whether you have many years of experience in the field or are just beginning your training. The training is highly structured, interactive, and allows for repeated practice and reflection on communication skills in realistic conversation situations. A specially trained actress takes on the role of a patient or family member. In short conversation sequences lasting 1-2 minutes, the trainee can practice the skills they have acquired in concrete conversations. Unlike in everyday professional life, there is the opportunity to receive structured feedback: the actress describes how she experienced the conversation from the patient's perspective and explains in detail how your communicative behavior affected her. This makes the course a special type of self-awareness of your own communication skills. This experience will help you be better prepared for the challenges of conversations with patients.