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. 2019 Jun;16(3):242-247.
doi: 10.1111/tct.12927. Epub 2018 Aug 16.

Communication training for inter-specialty clinicians

Tessie W October  1   2 , Zoelle B Dizon  1 , Melinda F Hamilton  3 , Vanessa N Madrigal  1   2 , Robert M Arnold  4
Affiliations

Communication training for inter-specialty clinicians

Tessie W October et al. Clin Teach. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Inter-specialty clinicians often co-lead family conferences for hospitalised patients. Families frequently report receiving different messages from different clinicians. We developed a communication training workshop that crosses disciplines and co-trains clinicians in one setting to create a culture of delivering a unified message.

Methods: We developed a 2-day paediatric communication skills workshop to teach the skills necessary to conduct a family conference. The workshop was targeted at nurse-practitioners and faculty clinicians representing the different specialties that co-manage children in an intensive care unit. Our primary outcomes were learner self-assessment of skills attainment and workshop satisfaction. We also evaluated the feasibility of recruiting busy clinicians.

Results: Fifteen clinicians, including eight critical care faculty members (80% of eligible participants), three subspecialty faculty members (100% of eligible participants) and four nurse-practitioners (100% of eligible participants), participated. Learners' self-reported confidence improved in all communication metrics assessed. From pre- to post-workshop, confidence increased from 39% to 94% for 'giving bad news' (p < 0.05), from 50% to 83% for 'conducting a family conference' (p < 0.05), and from 39% to 100% for 'eliciting a family's values/preferences (p < 0.05). Every learner rated the workshop as important to their clinical practice and 100% would strongly recommend it to others. All reported the time commitment was not burdensome and 74% would choose this 2-day format over shorter formats. When clinicians learn together, they are more likely to speak the same language when communicating with each other, and ultimately to deliver the same message to families CONCLUSIONS: An inter-specialty communication training workshop for different types of clinician was well received. It is feasible to co-train different types of clinician in a joint session. When clinicians learn together, they are more likely to speak the same language when communicating with each other, and ultimately to deliver the same message to families.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

All other authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Communication Workshop Adaptations
Figure 2
Figure 2
Learner’s Confidence with Communication Skills: Pre- and Post-workshop Self-Assessed Score of “4, Confident” and “5, Very Confident”
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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