A competency-based communication skills workshop series for pediatric residents

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Pediatric Residency Programs

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial for providing quality medical care, especially in challenging scenarios.
• Pediatric residents require advanced communication skills to navigate complex patient interactions.
• Difficult situations necessitate specialized training for healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a competency-based workshop series for pediatric residents.
• To enhance residents' advanced communication skills for managing difficult medical situations.
• To assess the effectiveness of a specific training module on communicating bad news.

Main Methods:

• A four-unit competency-based workshop series was designed for pediatric residents.
• The curriculum included modules on communicating bad news, difficult physician-patient situations, adolescent communication, and telephone consultation.
• The 'Communicating Bad News' unit was fully developed, implemented, and pilot tested.

Main Results:

• The intervention group demonstrated significantly better performance compared to the non-intervention group (p = 0.001) in the pilot test.
• Residents reported the instructional sessions as excellent and highly effective.
• Pilot testing indicated a positive impact of the training on resident performance.

Conclusions:

• A competency-based curriculum effectively teaches advanced communication skills essential for complex medical situations.
• Training likely increases residents' confidence in managing difficult patient encounters.
• Developing both communication skills and confidence is vital for adequate medical care delivery.