How to optimize physicians' communication skills in cancer care: results of a randomized study assessing the usefulness of posttraining consolidation workshops.
OBJECTIVE
Although there is wide recognition of the usefulness of improving physicians' communication skills, no studies have yet assessed the efficacy of post-training consolidation workshops. This study aims to assess the efficacy of six 3-hour consolidation workshops conducted after a 2.5-day basic training program.


METHODS
Physicians, after attending the basic training program, were randomly assigned to consolidation workshops or to a waiting list. Training efficacy was assessed through simulated and actual patient interviews that were audiotaped at baseline and after consolidation workshops for the consolidation-workshop group, and approximately 5 months after the end of basic training for the waiting-list group. Communication skills were assessed according to the Cancer Research Campaign Workshop Evaluation Manual. Patients' perceptions of communication skills improvement were assessed using a 14-item questionnaire.


RESULTS
Sixty-three physicians completed the training program. Communication skills improved significantly more in the consolidation-workshop group compared with the waiting-list group. In simulated interviews, group-by-time repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant increase in open and open directive questions (P =.014) and utterances alerting patients to reality (P =.049), as well as a significant decrease in premature reassurance (P =.042). In actual patient interviews, results revealed a significant increase in acknowledgements (P =.022) and empathic statements (P =.009), in educated guesses (P =.041), and in negotiations (P =.008). Patients interacting with physicians who benefited from consolidation workshops reported higher scores concerning their physicians' understanding of their disease (P =.004).


CONCLUSIONS
Consolidation workshops further improve a communication skills training program's efficacy and facilitate the transfer of acquired skills to clinical practice.
Razavi
Darius
D
Faculté des Sciences Psychologiques et de l'Education, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av F Roosevelt, 50-CP 191, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. drazavi@ulb.ac.be
Merckaert
Isabelle
I
Marchal
Serge
S
Libert
Yves
Y
Conradt
Sandrine
S
Boniver
Jacques
J
Etienne
Anne-Marie
AM
Fontaine
Ovide
O
Janne
Pascal
P
Klastersky
Jean
J
Reynaert
Christine
C
Scalliet
Pierre
P
Slachmuylder
Jean-Louis
JL
Delvaux
Nicole
N
D003142:Communication; D004493:Education; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011897:Random Allocation