Effective doctor-patient communication skills training optimizes functional organization of intrinsic brain architecture: a resting-state functional MRI study

We studied the influence of doctor-patient communication skills training on brain functional architecture using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) with a regional homogeneity (ReHo) method. Ten medical students participated in the study. A 1-year long doctor-patient communication skills training program was conducted. Rs-fMRI data were collected at baseline, one month and one year after training. There was a significant increase in the communication skills test average scores between baseline and 1-month duration of training (P<0.001). After one month of communication skills training, medical students had decreased ReHo in the right superior temporal gyrus compared with the baseline. After one year of communication skills training, students had increased ReHo in multiple regions and decreased ReHo in several regions (P<0.05, Alphasim corrected). The change of ReHo values in the superior temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the change of communication skills scale score between one month after communication skills training and baseline (r=–0.734, P= 0.036). The training program we used can be an effective approach of improving doctor-patient communication skills, and the training resulted in functional plasticity of the brain's architecture toward optimizing locally functional organization.