Objective: To evaluate the current status and correlations between attitudes and competency for interpersonal communication in ophthalmology standardized training trainee. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on the communication attitudes and interpersonal communication ability of standardized training trainees from three grades in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University, and the correlation between communication attitude and communication ability was further analyzed. Results: A total of 196 trainees were included. The scores of positive attitude, negative attitude, and interpersonal communication skills were 51.38±6.52, 36.80±5.70, and 2.41±0.40, respectively. In addition, the dimension of coaching and counseling scores were 2.50±0.64, the dimension of providing effective and negative feedback scores were 2.61±0.50, and the dimension of supportive communication scores were 2.29±0.44. The positive attitudes of communication skills were significantly related to the interpersonal communication skills and three-dimensionality (P<0.01). The interpersonal communication skills were significantly associated with sex, grades, interest in ophthalmology, social support from the family and friends (P<0.05). Conclusion: Ophthalmology trainees have excellent positive attitudes toward communication skills, but the overall communication skills are weak and influenced by a variety of factors. More attention should be paid to the development of interpersonal communication skills of the trainees, and specialized training in doctor-patient communication is warranted.
