Communication skills training in oncology - Description and preliminary outcomes of workshops on breaking bad news and managing patient reactions to illness

BACKGROUND. Cancer clinicians do not receive routine training in the psycho social aspects of patient care such as how to communicate bad news or respo nd to patients who have unrealistic expectations of cure. Postgraduate work shops may be an effective way to increase interpersonal skills in managing these stressful patient encounters. METHODS. The authors conducted 2 half-day workshops for oncology faculty, o ne on breaking bad news and one on dealing with "problem situations." Parti cipants met in a large group for didactic presentations and then small grou ps in which they used role-play and discussion to problem-solve difficult c ases from their practices. The small groups were assisted in their work by trained physician facilitators. The workshops were evaluated by means of a follow-up satisfaction questionnaire as well as a self-efficacy measure, wh ich was administered before and after the workshops. RESULTS. Twenty-seven faculty and 2 oncology fellows participated in the tr aining programs. Satisfaction questionnaires showed that the programs met t he educational objectives and were considered to be useful and relevant by the participants. Self-efficacy questionnaires revealed an increase in conf idence in communicating bad news and managing problem situation cases from before to after the workshop. The majority of attendees welcomed the opport unity to discuss their difficult cases with colleagues. A number resolved t o implement newly learned approaches to common patient problems they encoun tered frequently. CONCLUSIONS. Communication skills workshops may be a useful modality to pro vide training to oncologists in stressful aspects of the physician-patient relationship. Further research is needed to assess whether long term benefi ts accrue to the participants. (C) 1999 American Cancer Society.