Abstract

The goal was to confirm students’ perceptions of communication skills in health education. Data were gathered for this exploratory study from a sample of students at a university in Southern Brazil using a questionnaire. Among the participants were 54 students pursuing postgraduate, masters, and doctorate degrees in health science, as well as 71 students from graduate programmes in biomedicine, physiotherapy, speech therapy, and audiology. All students completed a special questionnaire created for this study and signed an informed consent form. Results: Data were analysed using content analysis, which is characterised by the observation of communications using systematic and objective methods for describing message content as well as by indicators that permit the assumption of knowledge regarding the inferred variables of these communications. 106 (84.8%) of the 125 participants were female, with a mean age of 24.8 years (SD=0.41) overall. 119 people (95.2%) thought communication activities in academic education were important. “Content expertise,” “adequate speech rate,” and “adequate speech articulation” were deemed to be the three communication abilities that were most crucial. The hardest parts were “interaction with the public,” “adequate speech rate,” and “adequate speech articulation.” The attendees also discussed the value of effective communication in oral presentations and conversations as well as the dearth of these skills in the academic and professional settings. Participants mentioned challenges and a lack of preparation in this area. Activities focusing on communication ability can address this at the university. Such treatments promote professional success since a healthcare practitioner must articulate themselves in meetings, public speaking engagements, and scientific settings in addition to maintaining positive client/patient relationships. As a result, effective communication is a crucial ability in the health care industry. It should be mentioned that one of the study’s limitations is convenience sampling. Students can use this research to identify challenges that can prevent them from completing their education to the fullest and to apply the best techniques to deal with such challenges. The growth of this field of study also depends on the establishment of established and standardised measures to evaluate these communication abilities.