Patient Communication Skills

Explain, listen and deliver difficult news with care and clarity.

What the course covers

8 modules, 32 topics. Open any one to see what sits inside it.

1. 1.1 The outcomes that depend on it
2. 1.2 What patients say goes wrong
3. 1.3 Power, status and the consultation
4. 1.4 Your own communication habits
1. 2.1 Opening, and setting the agenda
2. 2.2 Gathering the story
3. 2.3 Explaining and planning
4. 2.4 Closing, and safety-netting
1. 3.1 Open questions and active listening
2. 3.2 Picking up the cue you nearly missed
3. 3.3 Empathy that is expressed, not merely felt
4. 3.4 Summarising and checking understanding
1. 4.1 Plain language without being patronising
2. 4.2 Explaining risk and numbers
3. 4.3 Shared decision making
4. 4.4 Teach-back, and checking it landed
1. 5.1 Breaking bad news
2. 5.2 Responding to anger and blame
3. 5.3 Distress, fear and tears
4. 5.4 Uncertainty, and saying you do not know
1. 6.1 Language and working with interpreters
2. 6.2 Hearing, sight and communication needs
3. 6.3 Cognitive impairment and capacity
4. 6.4 Culture, belief and expectation
1. 7.1 Children and young people
2. 7.2 Family and carers in the room
3. 7.3 Remote and telephone consultations
4. 7.4 Raising a sensitive topic
1. 8.1 Structured handover
2. 8.2 Speaking up about a safety concern
3. 8.3 Being open and apologising after harm
4. 8.4 Reflecting on your own practice

By the end of this course you will be able to explain and apply:

Two hours, not two months Eight short modules. Finish in a day, or do one module a night for a week.

Skills your degree does not cover Employers ask for practical tools alongside the qualification. This fills that gap while you study.

Built for a phone Watch on the bus, pause mid-module, pick up where you stopped. No download, no lab.

A certificate that can be checked Every certificate carries an ID your college or an employer can verify on our site.

About two hours in total — eight modules of roughly fifteen minutes. You can do it in one sitting or spread it across a week. Your place is saved either way.
No. There is no prerequisite course and no software to install. A phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection is enough.
Yes. This course is placed at Bachelor's Degree for India, and the content is written for that level. If you are at a different stage, change your level at the top of the page and the courses will change with it.
A certificate for the course, carrying an ID that your college or an employer can check on our verification page. You keep access to the material afterwards.
Yes — ₹450 for this course on its own, or ₹1,450 for all five in this set, which works out cheaper if you want more than one.
There is a short quiz at the end of each module so you can check what stuck. It is not timed and you can retake it.
Change your country using the picker at the top. Level names, degree names and prices all switch to that country, and the courses adjust to its education system.

Wording shown for India. Pick a different country at the top and the terms, currency and programme names change with it.