MedEdPORTAL (May 2014)
Critical Synthesis Package: Communication Assessment Tool (CAT)
Abstract
Abstract This Critical Synthesis Package contains: (1) a Critical Analysis of the psychometric properties and the application to health science education of the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT), and (2) a copy of the CAT and the scoring instructions developed by Gregory Makoul, PhD. The CAT is a 15-item survey designed to assess patient perceptions of an individual physician's communication effectiveness. Patients are asked to respond based on a single, recent physician encounter. The survey can be self-administered or interviewer-administered, and can be completed on paper, via an automated telephone system, or on the internet. The first 14 questions focus specifically on the physician's interpersonal and communication skills. The last question, which can be omitted for physicians-in-training, concerns patient interaction with the staff. The CAT underwent rigorous psychometric testing during its development and results are not affected by physician specialty or patient gender, race, level of education, self-reported medical status, or any previous encounters with the physician. The instrument has been studied in training programs to evaluate resident performance and in the inpatient setting to assess hospitalist communication skills. A slightly modified version has been implemented in emergency departments to assess team communication. The CAT identifies specific communication skills that may be targeted for enhancement by intervention. As such, it can be used to facilitate learning and behavior change. Benchmark ratings do not exist, and may potentially vary from one institution to another. Also, minimum passing scores can differ considerably depending on patient/rater expertise and background. The CAT may be most useful as a means of formative assessment, or to assess changes in communication skills after an intervention or longitudinally during training.
Keywords
