Effects and Permanency of the Training Program “Communication with Cancer Patients” on the Opinions of Students Yesim Senol & Mustafa Ozdogan & Hakan Bozcuk Published online: 19 January 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Abstract Learning to develop the doctor–patient relationship is very important in the treatment of patients with cancer. We aim to train our students in the early years of study about this subject with a course on the patient–doctor communication, prepared for third year students. One hundred fifty-four third year students participated in our study during the 2006–2007 academic years. The same questionnaire was given to the students in the 2009–2010 academic year; their sixth year of study. The rate of return for the questionnaire is 88.7%. Based on this study, we have the opinion that the training given in the third year is beneficial; however, the efficacy of the training diminishes with the advancing years, and therefore, the length of this training should be increased in the upper classes and additional hours should be added. Keyword Patients with cancer . Medical student . Communication skills Introduction Effective communication between doctor and patient is con- sidered a fundamental learnable clinic skill [1]. Learning to develop the doctor–patient relationship is also extremely important regarding the treatment of patients with cancer. Giving bad news and establishing communication with a patient who is under elevated stress is one of the most important, but equally most difficult, features of communica- tion between doctor and patient [1, 2]. There are differences between countries due to the cultural diversity in terms of the way bad news is delivered according to cultural norms. While cancer patients in North America and European countries are informed within the frame of individual responsibilities, rights, and laws in Mediterranean countries and places in the Middle East such as Iran, it has been observed that keeping the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer from the patient is preferred [3–5]. It has been shown in several studies that similar trends also exist in this country [6]. In addition, differences regarding communication skills with cancer patients are also noted in the curricula of un- dergraduate medical education. In general, there is no stan- dard approach, and both the content and application also differ [7]. In skills training programs, it is generally empha- sized that clinical skills should be gained during the early years [8]. Intensified programs and adult learning principles are emphasized in skills training. Evidence indicates that training programs which focus on giving trainees the oppor- tunity to establish face-to-face communication with patients or which use simulations, and which additionally offer the opportunity to practice the skills mentioned above, all fol- lowed by feedback, are successful [1, 9]. The literature indicates that doctors who have been trained in communication between the doctor and the cancer patient— a rather sensitive communication type—tend to discuss the disease with their patients more [10]. Evidence also shows that patients giving higher scores to the communication methods of their doctors have higher levels of self-confidence regarding their cancer and lower levels of emotional stress [11]. We aim to train our students during the early years of their study about this subject with a course on the patient– doctor communication specifically prepared for third year students. There are two specific goals in the training pro- gram. Firstly, we aim to increase the tendency of students to Y. Senol (*) Department of Medical Education, Akdeniz University Medical Faculty, Antalya, Turkey e-mail: yigiter@akdeniz.edu.tr M. Ozdogan : H. Bozcuk Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey J Canc Educ (2012) 27:338–341 DOI 10.1007/s13187-012-0309-4