Patient-Centered Communication Case: Threatened Miscarriage.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Health Communication

Background:

• Patient-centered communication is vital in emergency medicine for high-quality care.
• Miscarriage (early pregnancy loss) affects approximately 17.1% of patients presenting to the ED.
• Effective communication is crucial when delivering a miscarriage diagnosis and discussing management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an emergency medicine resident training case focused on patient-centered communication.
• To enhance learners' ability to establish rapport, explore patient concerns, and validate emotions.
• To improve skills in explaining threatened miscarriage diagnoses and collaboratively developing care plans.

Main Methods:

• A standardized patient case co-developed by simulation and emergency medicine experts.
• Iterative testing and refinement with learners and facilitators at multiple institutions.
• Evaluation via surveys assessing efficacy from both learner and facilitator perspectives.

Main Results:

• The case received favorable reviews, with minor recommendations for facilitator notes and objective alignment.
• Learners rated the case highly (4.5 to 4.8) across iterative testing sessions.
• Facilitators consistently ranked the case above 4 out of 5, with feedback focused on prompts and debriefing.

Conclusions:

• The standardized patient case is an effective tool for practicing patient-centered communication skills.
• The case is recommended for emergency medicine residents preparing for certification exams.
• The training module successfully addresses essential communication competencies in managing miscarriage.