This review addresses the integration of communication in the context of medical education as it is a central axis of health curricula and an instrumental part of the clinical relationship. Based on the current context in medical practice, its problems and needs, teaching alternatives which favor the development of communication abilities and competencies of students are proposed. Besides considering the meaning of adequate communication, this initial approach considers the main global models that have served as guidelines for different schools of medicine during curriculum development. Within the creation of such curricular proposals, aspects such as the way communication is conceived from the perspective of the academic program have been considered, if it is understood as an independent course or if it is integrated within the achievement of other biomedical competencies (in a transversal manner in the curriculum). Other topics are related to content, the definition of teaching methodologies, learning, evaluation and the need to guarantee the accompaniment and feedback to students due to the nature of the communication experience during the clinical practices and its relevance in humane and comprehensive education.