Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Effectiveness of the 'availability, current issues and anticipation' (ACA) training programme for general practice
Willemjan Slort1, Annette H Blankenstein1, Bart P M Schweitzer1
1Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a new palliative care 'availability, current issues and anticipation' (ACA) training programme to improve communication skills of general practice trainees (GPTs).
Methods:
In a controlled trial among third-year GPTs, we videotaped one 20-min consultation between each GPT and a simulated palliative care patient at baseline and at six months follow-up. We measured the number of issues discussed and the quality of communication skills and analysed between-group differences using linear mixed models and logistic regression.
Results:
Fifty-four GPTs were assigned to the intervention and 64 to the control group. We found no effect of the programme on the number of issues discussed or on the quality of GPT communicative behaviour. GPTs infrequently addressed 'spiritual/existential issues' and 'unfinished business'. In a selection of the consultations, simulated patients brought up more issues than the GPTs did.
Conclusion:
The ACA training programme was not effective in the way it was carried out and evaluated in this trial.
Practice Implications:
The ACA programme should focus on the issues that scored low in this trial. Future research on GPT-patient communication in palliative care should consider using real patients in a series of consultations to evaluate effectiveness.
Related Concept Videos
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Techniques of Therapeutic Communication II: Focusing, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This therapeutic technique can also be used when a patient brings up pertinent information during a health-related conversation. The...
Cancer Survival Analysis
Acute Coronary Syndrome IV: Interprofessional Care
Clinical Trials: Overview
