The Small-College Communication Program: An Assessment of Communication Program Organization and Curricula at Private Liberal Arts Colleges in the Midwest and South

The study investigates selected features of communication degree programs at small, private liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and South. Topics covered include how communication programs at such colleges are organized at the departmental level, what courses are most commonly offered in small-college communication programs, and what course enrollment limits are typical for such programs. Our findings suggest that communication programs are now commonly found at such institutions, with most housed in academic units that refer to communication in the unit name. Beyond relatively widespread commitments to restricting course enrollments, these programs are generally marked by great diversity in their course offerings and apparent foci

Components of Patients\u27 and Doctors\u27 Perceptions of Communication Competence During a Primary Care Medical Interview

Although considerable attention has been given to doctor-patient communica- tion, relatively little research on this topic is grounded in theory. Some scholars have suggested that the concept of communication competence may serve as a useful theoretical framework for future research into doctor-patient communication. The purpose of this article was to identify components of doctors\u27 and patients\u27 communicative competence during a primary care medical interview. Doctors and patients were asked to rate self- and other-competence and to identify what particular behaviors led them to their judgments. The behavior descriptions were content analyzed to determine the components of competence assessments. The results suggest that information exchange and relational development comprise most of the behaviors doctors and patients identify with judgments of communication competence. However, additional data indicate that information exchange concerns are dominant on the part of both doctors\u27 and patients\u27 perceptions of self- and other-competence. In addition, doctors and patients agree that the onus of relational work during the medical interview is assumed to fall on the doctors\u27 shoulders

A Study of Doctors\u27 and Patients\u27 Perceptions of Information Processing and Communication Competence During the Medical Interview

Although considerable attention has been given to doctor-patient communica- tion, little work has examined how doctors and patients process information obtained through interaction. The purpose of this research was to examine differences in doctors\u27 and patients\u27 thoughts and feelings and their perceptions of information exchange and relational communication during a medical interview. The results indicate that doctors and patients differ in their thoughts and feelings along several lines and in their views of communication functions. The results are discussed in terms of previous research on doctor-patient communi- cation and implications for communication skills training for both doctors and patients