Telehealth-Based Family Conferences with Implementation of Shared Decision Making Concepts and Humanistic...

Area of Science:

• Medical Communication
• Telehealth
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated telehealth for family conferences, raising concerns about diminished therapeutic relationships.
• Lack of direct human contact in virtual settings may impact empathetic communication and patient connection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the efficacy of a shared decision-making (SDM) model integrating VALUE and PLACE frameworks in telehealth family conferences.
• To assess if this model enhances physician empathy and fosters human connectedness in a virtual context.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 25 virtual family conferences at a national medical center in Taiwan.
• Utilized the combined VALUE (Value family statements, Acknowledge emotions, Listen, Understand the patient as a person, Elicit questions) and PLACE (Prepare with intention, Listen intently and completely, Agree on what matters most, Connect with the patient's story, Explore emotional cues) frameworks.
• Assessed patient and family distress (verbal and nonverbal) and satisfaction scores.

Main Results:

• Verbal emotional distress was observed in 20% of patients and 20% of family members; nonverbal distress in 24% and 28%, respectively.
• High satisfaction scores were reported: 8.7 ± 1.5 for overall communication and 9.0 ± 1.1 for meeting family needs.
• The SDM model with VALUE and PLACE approaches effectively fostered connectedness.

Conclusions:

• Integrating SDM concepts with VALUE and PLACE frameworks improves physician empathy and human connection in telehealth family conferences.
• This model demonstrates high participant satisfaction and potential to enhance healthcare quality during the pandemic.
• Virtual family conferences, when structured with specific communication frameworks, can maintain and even improve therapeutic relationships.