Across the world, local standards provide doctors with a backbone of professional attitudes that must be embodied across their practice. However, educational approaches to develop attitudes are undermined by the lack of a theoretical framework. Our research explored the ways in which the General Medical Council’s (GMC) programme of preventative educational workshops (the Duties of a Doctor programme) attempted to influence doctors’ professional attitudes and examined how persuasive communication theory can advance understandings of professionalism education. This qualitative study comprised 15 ethnographic observations of the GMC’s programme of preventative educational workshops at seven locations across England, as well as qualitative interviews with 55 postgraduate doctors ranging in experience from junior trainees to senior consultants. The sample was purposefully chosen to include various geographic locations, different programme facilitators and doctors, who varied by seniority. Data collection occurred between March to December 2017. Thematic analysis was undertaken inductively, with meaning flowing from the data, and deductively, guided by persuasive communication theory. The source (educator); the message (content); and the audience (participants) were revealed as key influences on the persuasiveness of the intervention. Educators established a high degree of credibility amongst doctors and worked to build rapport. Their message was persuasive, in that it drew on rational and emotional communicative techniques and made use of both statistical and narrative evidence. Importantly, the workshops were interactive, which allowed doctors to engage with the message and thus increased its persuasiveness. This study extends the literature by providing a theoretically-informed understanding of an educational intervention aimed at promoting professionalism, examining it through the lens of persuasive communication. Within the context of interactive programmes that allow doctors to discuss real life examples of professional dilemmas, educators can impact on doctors’ professional attitudes by drawing on persuasive communication techniques to enhance their credibility to demonstrate expertise, by building rapport and by making use of rational and emotional appeals.

中文翻译：

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教授医学专业精神：说服性沟通作为教育策略的定性探索

在世界各地，当地标准为医生提供了专业态度的支柱，这些态度必须体现在他们的实践中。然而，由于缺乏理论框架，培养态度的教育方法受到了损害。我们的研究探讨了综合医学委员会 (GMC) 的预防性教育研讨会计划（医生的职责计划）试图影响医生的专业态度的方式，并研究了说服性沟通理论如何促进对专业教育的理解。这项定性研究包括对 GMC 在英格兰七个地点举办的预防教育讲习班计划的 15 项人种学观察，以及对 55 名研究生医生（从初级实习生到高级顾问）的定性访谈。样本是有目的地选择的，包括不同的地理位置、不同的项目协调员和医生，他们的资历各不相同。数据收集发生在 2017 年 3 月至 12 月期间。主题分析以归纳方式进行，意义来自数据，并以演绎方式进行，以说服性沟通理论为指导。来源（教育者）；消息（内容）；观众（参与者）被揭示为干预说服力的关键影响因素。教育工作者在医生中建立了高度的信誉并努力建立融洽的关系。他们的信息很有说服力，因为它利用了理性和情感的沟通技巧，并利用了统计和叙述证据。重要的是，研讨会是互动的，这使得医生能够参与其中，从而增加其说服力。这项研究通过对旨在促进专业精神的教育干预提供理论上的理解，并通过说服性沟通的视角对其进行检验，从而扩展了文献。在互动项目允许医生讨论现实生活中职业困境的例子的背景下，教育工作者可以通过利用有说服力的沟通技巧来提高医生展示专业知识的可信度、建立融洽关系以及利用理性和合理的方式来影响医生的职业态度。情感诉求。