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Teaching Medical Students to Communicate With Empathy and Clarity Using Improvisation
Evonne Kaplan-Liss1, Valeri Lantz-Gefroh, Elizabeth Bass
1E. Kaplan-Liss is assistant dean of narrative reflection and patient communication and professor of medical education, Texas Christian University and University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine (applicant for Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation), Fort Worth, Texas. V. Lantz-Gefroh is improvisation program leader, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, School of Journalism, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York. E. Bass is visiting associate professor of journalism and director emerita, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, School of Journalism, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York. D. Killebrew is associate director, Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., Stony Brook, New York. N.M. Ponzio is professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey. C. Savi is assistant dean of assessment and quality improvement and associate professor of medical education, Texas Christian University and University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine (applicant for Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation), Fort Worth, Texas. C. O'Connell is assistant professor of science communication, School of Journalism and Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.
This study developed an improvisation-based communication and empathy course for health professions students. The innovative program received overwhelmingly positive student feedback, leading to its integration into the medical school curriculum.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Communication Skills Training
- Empathy Development
Background:
- Effective communication is crucial for healthcare providers.
- Traditional communication training often lacks innovative methods.
- The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science aims to enhance healthcare communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a course using improvisation to teach communication skills and empathy to health professions students.
- To assess the impact of an interprofessional elective on medical, nursing, and dental students' communication abilities.
Main Methods:
- An interprofessional elective course incorporating improvisation, role-playing, and storytelling was designed.
- The course utilized verbal and nonverbal exercises to foster empathy and clarity.
- Student feedback was collected through course evaluations.
Main Results:
- 100% of students recommended the course and found it relevant to their careers.
- Students expressed a desire for more communication and empathy training in their curriculum.
- Positive evaluations led to the integration of the course into the preclinical medical curriculum.
Conclusions:
- An improvisation-based course can be an effective model for enhancing communication skills and empathy in future healthcare professionals.
- Institutions can adopt this model to improve communication training.
- Further integration of communication skills training throughout medical school is recommended.
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