Enhancing communication between oncologists and patients with a computer-based training program: a randomized trial.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Education
• Health Communication

Background:

• Effective cancer care necessitates addressing patients' emotional needs, a skill oncologists often lack.
• Traditional communication skills workshops are time-intensive and costly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if a concise, computer-based intervention can enhance oncologists' responses to patient expressions of negative emotion.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 48 oncologists and 264 advanced cancer patients.
• Oncologists received either a lecture or a lecture plus a tailored CD-ROM intervention with feedback on recorded patient interactions.
• Outcomes measured included empathic statements, responses to negative emotions, patient trust, and perceived communication skills.

Main Results:

• Oncologists using the CD-ROM intervention demonstrated significantly more empathic statements and responses to negative emotions compared to controls.
• Patients receiving care from intervention oncologists reported higher levels of trust.
• No significant differences were observed in patients' perceptions of overall communication skills.

Conclusions:

• A brief, computerized intervention effectively improves oncologists' empathetic responses to patient emotions.
• This intervention shows promise for enhancing patient-oncologist communication and trust in academic medical settings.