title: Communication skills training for Japanese oncologists on how to break bad news.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite significant communication gaps between patients and physicians, there has been little effort to initiate and evaluate teaching programs. We investigated whether a communication skills training (CST) could be effectively conducted for Japanese oncologists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight oncologists participated in the CST. We evaluated the program by measuring participant-rated confidence for communication with patients, burnout, and satisfaction of participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immediately and at 3 months after CST, confidence in communication increased significantly compared with before. The providers' emotional-exhaustion 3 months after the workshop, however, worsened. The participants' satisfaction level with the program was high.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CST is feasible for Japanese oncologists, but it needs to be modified to reduce emotional-exhaustion.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Japan.
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimori
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Nobuya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akizuki
authors.forename: Masae
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akechi
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakano
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchitomi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires