Essential Elements of Communication in Medical Encounters: The Kalamazoo Consensus Statement
Abstract
In May 1999, 21 leaders and representatives from major medical education and professional organizations attended an invitational conference jointly sponsored by the Bayer Institute for Health Care Communication and the Fetzer INSTITUTE: The participants focused on delineating a coherent set of essential elements in physician-patient communication to: (1) facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of communication-oriented curricula in medical education and (2) inform the development of specific standards in this domain. Since the group included architects and representatives of five currently used models of doctor-patient communication, participants agreed that the goals might best be achieved through review and synthesis of the models. Presentations about the five models encompassed their research base, overarching views of the medical encounter, and current applications. All attendees participated in discussion of the models and common elements. Written proceedings generated during the conference were posted on an electronic listserv for review and comment by the entire group. A three-person writing committee synthesized suggestions, resolved questions, and posted a succession of drafts on a listserv. The current document was circulated to the entire group for final approval before it was submitted for publication. The group identified seven essential sets of communication tasks: (1) build the doctor-patient relationship; (2) open the discussion; (3) gather…
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The primary outcome was assessed using a modified version of the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist (Adapted), adapted for T2DM diagnostic disclosure with eight domains.
“The primary outcome was the improvement in diagnostic communication competency, assessed using a modified version of the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist (Adapted), originally developed by the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare (Makoul, 2001a). The rubric was adapted for T2DM diagnostic disclosure and included eight domains:”
From DIALOGUE: A Generative AI-Based Pre–Post Simulation Study to Enhance Diagnostic Communication in Medical Students Through Virtual Type 2 Diabetes Scenarios (2025) · cites this paper as Makoul, 2001a
To our knowledge, this is the first study to generate such triangulated, rubric-based evidence in Spanish-speaking medical students, within a Latin American setting.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to generate such triangulated, rubric-based evidence in Spanish-speaking medical students, within a Latin American setting (Makoul, 2001a, 2001b).”
From DIALOGUE: A Generative AI-Based Pre–Post Simulation Study to Enhance Diagnostic Communication in Medical Students Through Virtual Type 2 Diabetes Scenarios (2025) · cites this paper as Makoul, 2001a
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“The primary outcome was the improvement in diagnostic communication competency, assessed using a modified version of the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist (Adapted), originally developed by the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare (Makoul, 2001a).”
Kohler, P. K., Mugo, C., Wilson, K. S., Moraa, H., Onyango, A., Tapia, K., Pike, K., Mburu, C., Nduati, M., Guthrie, B., et al. (2023) · PLOS Global Public Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0001765 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Makoul, G.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Makoul, Gregory
- ORCID
- Makoul, Gregory
- Venue
- Academic Medicine
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2001-04
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 390-393
- ISSN
- 1040-2446 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1963996662
- Cited by
- 917
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 32.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Academic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Empathy and Medical Education
- Keywords
- physician-patient communication, communication models, physician-patient relationship, medical education, communication standards, shared decision-making, information sharing, patient perspectives
- MeSH terms
- Communication, Humans, Models, Theoretical, Physician-Patient Relations
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