Feasibility of a webinar for coaching patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on end-of-life communication.
BACKGROUND
Previous research has shown that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) desire conversations about end-of-life wishes. However, most clinicians do not initiate these discussions. We explored whether educating patients via Web conferencing (webinar) would equip them with knowledge and skills to engage in conversations about end-of-life care.


RESULTS
Prewebinar, 6 of the 7 patients had completed advanced care planning forms but only half had shared these with their clinicians. Most patients felt confident about discussing end-of-life preferences. At 3 months, all participants had taken further action on end-of-life planning. Five felt the webinar was an acceptable option if unable to participate in person. All patients voiced that adding a video stream would have promoted interaction in the context of these sensitive conversations.


CONCLUSIONS
This pilot project demonstrated that a webinar to educate patients on end-of-life communication was acceptable for the majority of patients. Improvements in audio and video bandwidth may facilitate more interaction among virtual participants. This may be particularly useful for patient education on sensitive topics.
Reinke
Lynn F
LF
Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Health Services Research & Development, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. reinkl@u.washington.edu
Griffith
Randall G
RG
Wolpin
Seth
S
Donesky-Cuenco
DorAnne
D
Carrieri-Kohlman
Virginia
V
Nguyen
Huong Q
HQ
D032722:Advance Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000368:Aged; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003142:Communication; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013727:Terminal Care