Using crowdsourced analog patients to provide feedback on physician communication skills

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Effective physician-patient communication is crucial for quality healthcare.
• Physicians often lack opportunities for practicing communication and receiving constructive feedback.
• The patient's perspective is vital for refining communication strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Video-based Communication Assessment (VCA) as a tool for physician communication practice and feedback.
• To analyze feedback from analog patients to identify key themes and generate actionable recommendations.
• To improve physician-patient communication through a novel assessment method.

Main Methods:

• Physicians and residents utilized the VCA, responding to video vignettes depicting communication challenges.
• Crowdsourced analog patients rated physician responses and provided qualitative feedback on desired communication.
• Qualitative analysis was employed to identify recurring themes in patient comments.

Main Results:

• Forty-three participants completed the VCA, receiving 1035 comments from 556 analog patients.
• Key themes identified included the importance of caring, empathy, and respect in communication.
• Actionable recommendations were developed, integrating direct quotes from analog patients.

Conclusions:

• The VCA offers a structured approach for physicians to practice and receive feedback on communication skills.
• Thematic analysis and recommendation generation streamline feedback, reducing user burden.
• Further research is warranted on physician reception of feedback and its impact on communication behaviors.