PEMTalk: Improving Delivery of Serious News in Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians deliver serious news (DSN) in stressful situations that impact both families and physicians. Our objective was to assess the impact of a PEM-focused workshop on DSN in improving the self-perceived preparedness, skill level, and stress management of PEM physicians.

We designed a simulation-based communication workshop, "PEMTalk," utilizing simulated parents to teach PEM attendings and fellows to effectively DSN. The workshop was conducted in a virtual and in-person format from 2018 to 2023. We developed 3 scenarios unique to PEM. Pre- and postintervention surveys were administered to assess the workshop's impact.

A total of 74 participants completed surveys. Among the 34 first-time participants, there were improvements in provider's self-perceived ability to DSN (41% vs. 97%; P <0.001), respond to emotions (50% vs. 97%; P <0.001), and decrease in stress (47% vs. 21%; P =0.003) due to DSN. Among the 23 participants who participated in the study more than once, there were sustained improvements in their self-perceived ability to DSN (39% vs. 69%; P =0.02). Fellows (53% of participants) were more likely than attendings to report improvement in DSN [OR 6; 95% CI (1.05-41.67); P =0.04]. There was no difference in outcomes between in-person and virtual formats.

PEMTalk enhanced participants' self-reported comfort while reducing stress associated with DSN in a simulated setting. Next steps include incorporating objective assessments, evaluating the impact on patient care, and disseminating the workshop to the broader PEM community.