Enhancing parent-provider communication in ambulatory pediatric practice.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatric Healthcare
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Effective parent-provider communication is crucial in pediatric ambulatory care.
• Existing interventions to improve communication skills among residents are limited.
• There is a need for evidence-based strategies to enhance physician-parent interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief intervention aimed at improving interpersonal communication skills of pediatric and internal medicine/pediatric residents.
• To assess the impact of this intervention on parent satisfaction with care and communication.
• To determine if enhanced communication skills translate to improved parent perceptions.

Main Methods:

• A within-subjects, repeated measures design was employed with 28 residents and 92 families.
• Residents participated in a 1-1.5 hour communication skills intervention.
• Audio-recordings of three pediatric visits (pre- and post-intervention) were analyzed using Roter's Interaction Analysis System; parent surveys were also administered.

Main Results:

• Residents demonstrated improved interpersonal communication skills post-intervention (p<.05).
• Parent satisfaction with care increased significantly (p<.01), particularly regarding distress relief and communication (p=.01, p=.05).
• Parental perceptions of resident communication did not show a statistically significant change over time.

Conclusions:

• A brief intervention can effectively enhance residents' communication skills in pediatric ambulatory settings.
• Improved communication skills are associated with increased parental satisfaction with care.
• Targeted training in praise, empathy, and collaboration shows promise for enhancing the quality of pediatric care.