Students' experiences with a longitudinal skills training program on breaking bad news: A follow-up study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Effective breaking bad news (BBN) training is crucial for medical students.
• A helical training model with multiple sessions and feedback is recommended for BBN.
• Student evaluation of such helical BBN training remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather medical student opinions on a helical BBN training program.
• To assess student perceptions of feedback, emotional support, and skill applicability.
• To compare student evaluations immediately after training and after clinical clerkships.

Main Methods:

• Student surveys were administered at two time points: Q1 (immediately after BBN skills training) and Q2 (after clinical clerkships).
• Surveys collected data on perceived usefulness of the helical curriculum, feedback, emotional support, and skill applicability.

Main Results:

• Students initially found the helical curriculum useful, but this perception declined at follow-up (Q2).
• Satisfaction with feedback and emotional support decreased from Q1 to Q2.
• Perceived applicability of BBN skills in clinical practice was lower at Q2 compared to Q1.

Conclusions:

• A helical BBN training program with early exposure may increase students' awareness of their incompetence.
• Students desired more emotional support and feedback throughout their training.
• There is a need to bridge the gap between BBN training and clinical practice.