Online Module Builds Skills for Internal Medicine Interns in Responding to Emotions During Complex Serious Illness Conversations

Lindsay M Gibbon; Caroline J Hurd; Susan E Merel

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.02.002

Online Module Builds Skills for Internal Medicine Interns in Responding to Emotions During Complex Serious Illness Conversations

J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020 Jun;59(6):1379-1383. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.02.002. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Authors

Lindsay M Gibbon¹, Caroline J Hurd², Susan E Merel³

Affiliations

¹ Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. Electronic address: lgibbon@uw.edu.
² Division of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
³ University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.

PMID: 32058010
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.02.002

Abstract

Context: Responding to emotion cues is an essential skill for communicating with patients and families, but many health care trainees have difficulty applying this skill within the context of a complex conversation.

Objectives: We created an original online module to facilitate deliberate practice of a three-skill framework for responding to emotion cues during complex or nonlinear serious illness conversations.

Methods: Our original online module uses a gamebook format, which prompts trainees to engage in focused and repetitive practice of three well-defined skills for responding to emotion cues in a simulated family conference. We implemented the module as a part of a communication skills curriculum for interns rotating in the intensive care unit. After completing the module, all interns answered an open-ended survey question about their perceived skill acquisition. Results were analyzed by a qualitative method and coded into themes.

Results: About 71% of interns (n = 65 of 92) completed the online module and open-ended survey question. About 89% of participants responded that they would use a naming, understanding, respecting, supporting, or exploring statement in response to an emotion cue. Nearly two-thirds of participants articulated their rationale for using naming, understanding, respecting, supporting, or exploring statements (e.g., preparing patients to process complex medical information, eliciting information about patient perspective.) CONCLUSION: Our online emotion cue module is a novel tool for deliberate practice of advanced skills for responding to emotion cues in serious illness conversations. In future studies, we will investigate whether our module's efficacy is enhanced by using it as a part of a flipped classroom curriculum with an in-person simulation session.

Keywords: Emotion cues; empathic statements; interactive online module; perceived skill acquisition.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Communication*
Curriculum*
Emotions
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Surveys and Questionnaires