English abstract
Objectives: Communications skills (CS) training for medical interviewing is increasingly being
conducted in English at medical schools worldwide. In this study, we sought to identify whether Arabic-speaking
medical students experienced difficulty with the different components of the CS training that were conducted in
English. Methods: Individual third-year preclinical medical students (N = 45) were videotaped while interviewing
simulated patients. Each student assessed his/her performance on a 13-item (5-point scale) assessment form, which
was also completed by the tutor and other students in the group. Results: Of the 13 components of their CS
training, tutors awarded the lowest marks for students' abilities to express empathy, ask about patients' feelings, use
transition statements, ask about functional impact, and elicit patients' expectations (P <0.001). Conclusion: The
expression of empathy and the ability to elicit patients' feelings and expectations are difficult to develop in medical
students learning CS in a second language.
