Using role-plays to teach palliative medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Palliative Medicine
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial in Palliative Medicine.
• Training in these skills is essential for healthcare professionals.
• Current training methods require evaluation for efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a structured communication skills training program in Palliative Medicine.
• To evaluate the impact of the training on self-perceived communication abilities of medical trainees.
• To validate self-ratings as a reliable measure of communication skills improvement.

Main Methods:

• A three-hour educational intervention incorporating role-plays, feedback, discussion, a video, and a reading list.
• Self-assessment questionnaires administered pre-training and four weeks post-training.
• Correlation analysis comparing self-ratings with participant and observer ratings from simulated clinical scenarios.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in self-reported communication skills were observed in both undergraduate and postgraduate participants.
• The training intervention demonstrated a positive impact on perceived communication competence.
• Self-ratings showed a valid correlation with expert and peer assessments in simulated clinical encounters.

Conclusions:

• The implemented three-hour training module is an effective method for enhancing communication skills in Palliative Medicine.
• Self-assessment is a valid tool for measuring improvements in communication skills following targeted training.
• This approach offers a practical and effective strategy for Palliative Medicine education.