Pilot Study: Moving Towards a Scalable Intervention for Postgraduate Communication Skills Training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Digital Health

Background:

• Serious illness communication skills (SICS) are crucial but inconsistently taught in postgraduate medical training.
• Residents often feel unprepared for difficult conversations, including advance care planning (ACP).
• A standardized approach to SICS teaching is needed to address this educational gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel e-module for teaching core SICS relevant to ACP.
• To assess the impact of this e-module, used before skills practice, on resident comfort and preparedness for ACP.
• To explore resident preferences for learning SICS.

Main Methods:

• Family medicine residents participated in a study at an academic hospital.
• A novel e-module replaced traditional didactic lectures on SICS for ACP.
• Residents engaged in skill discussion and deliberate practice via role-play simulation with feedback.
• Pre- and post-intervention attitudinal surveys were administered.

Main Results:

• Residents preferred blended learning, including online and virtual methods for SICS.
• Post-intervention, residents reported increased preparedness for ACP, delivering serious news, and discussing goals of care.
• While interest in ACP discussions rose, residents noted feasibility challenges in busy clinics.

Conclusions:

• Integrating brief e-modules with deliberate practice simulation enhances resident readiness for SICS.
• This online, interactive training improves comfort and preparedness for advance care planning.
• The e-module offers an evidence-informed, scalable tool for standardized SICS teaching.