Two-Year Experience Implementing a Curriculum to Improve Residents' Patient-Centered Communication Skills

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Communication Skills Assessment

Background:

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandates focus on nontechnical skills for surgical residents.
• Communication is a critical nontechnical skill requiring targeted training and assessment.
• Previous methods for assessing resident communication skills have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a 2-year experience implementing a simulation-based communication curriculum for surgery residents.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum through annual communication performance assessments.
• To assess resident feedback and its correlation with communication skill development.

Main Methods:

• Eight quarterly simulation modules covered diverse communication topics.
• Patient volunteers acted as simulation participants (SP) using the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT).
• Standardized scenarios included delivering bad news and discussing treatment contraindications.

Main Results:

• Residents reported high satisfaction (90% A/A+ grades) and increased confidence (p < 0.001).
• Annual assessments provided insights into skill levels and confidence correlations.
• Patient experience surveys showed improved clarity in surgeons' explanations (p = 0.042).

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based SP-CAT shows usability and validity for assessing surgical residents' communication.
• The curriculum aligns with improved patient-reported communication clarity.
• An ongoing communication curriculum offers significant educational and institutional advantages.