Studying communication in oncologist-patient encounters: the SCOPE Trial.
OBJECTIVE
Most oncologists have not received adequate training in physician-patient communication, and existing effective courses tend to be time and resource intensive. We are developing and testing a tailored CD-ROM educational intervention that includes feedback on oncologists' own audio-recorded conversations with their advanced cancer patients. In this report, we describe the study methods and identify challenges to implementation and how these were overcome.


METHODS
A three-phase, randomized, controlled trial. In Phase 1, we audio-recorded oncologist-patient clinic encounters. In Phase 2, oncologists were randomly assigned to a communication CD-ROM intervention or control. Phase 3 consisted of audio-recording all participating oncologists conversing with a new sample of patients, two to 12 months after the intervention, to assess its effectiveness.


METHODS
Oncology clinics at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC) in Durham, NC, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Pittsburgh, PA.


METHODS
Medical, radiation and gynecological oncologists and their patients with advanced cancer.


METHODS
A tailored CD-ROM that contains an interactive educational interface with reference materials and video-clips of model conversations, along with the oncologists' own Phase 1 audio-recorded conversations.


CONCLUSIONS
We present challenges and solutions to oncologist recruitment, identifying appropriate patients with advanced cancer, adapting to clinic flow, and developing a self-administered communications intervention.
Koropchak
Celine M
CM
Department of Medicine and Center for Palliative Care, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA. korop001@mc.duke.edu
Pollak
Kathryn I
KI
Arnold
Robert M
RM
Alexander
Stewart C
SC
Skinner
Celette Sugg
CS
Olsen
Maren K
MK
Jeffreys
Amy S
AS
Rodriguez
Keri L
KL
Abernethy
Amy P
AP
Tulsky
James A
JA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016251:CD-ROM; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003162:Competency-Based Education; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013637:Tape Recording