The "Soft" Mistake: Reclaiming Essential Skills in Medicine.
Abstract
The term “soft skills” is inadequate in the context of medical education, as it minimizes essential competencies such as communication, empathy, and teamwork. It argues that this label has contributed to a false hierarchy where technical knowledge is considered superior, even though interpersonal skills are crucial for quality of care and patient safety. It maintains that medical practice cannot be divided into the technical and the human, as both dimensions are inseparable. Through examples, it shows how a lack of these competencies can lead to diagnostic errors, poor communication with the patient, and failures in teamwork. Finally, the text proposes replacing the term with others that better reflect its importance and complexity, and concludes that integrating these competencies into medical training is not optional, but rather an ethical and professional imperative.
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