Summary:
The practice of medicine demands cognitive, psychomotor and communicative skills. The author discusses cognitive skills from a broad perspective, which includes knowledge about the nature of human being, the historical evolution of concepts on health and disease and, finally, about the health-disease-patient complex. Psychomotor skills are pertinent to a routine, comprehensive physical examination and should be acquired by all physicians. There are also many specialized ones that· will require additional training depending on the specialialty. They include also intellectual skills such as data collection and processing, clinical observation and judgment. Most importantly, effective treatment outcome is strongly determined by the quality of doctor-patient relationship. The author makes reference to the fact that deficiency in the professional training of physicians may result, if medical schools don’t emphasize the importance of doctor-patient relationship.
Key words:
Medical Education, undergraduate; Clinical competence; Competency-based education; Physician - patient relations