title: Discussing religion and spirituality is an advanced communication skill: an exploratory structural equation model of physician trainee self-ratings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Communication about religious and spiritual issues is fundamental to palliative care, yet little empirical data exist to guide curricula in this area. The goal of this study was to develop an improved understanding of physicians' perspectives on their communication competence about religious and spiritual issues.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined surveys of physician trainees (n=297) enrolled in an ongoing communication skills study at two medical centers in the northwestern and southeastern United States. Our primary outcome was self-assessed competence in discussing religion and spirituality. We used exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop measurement and full models for acquisition of self-assessed communication competencies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our measurement SEM identified two latent constructs that we label Basic and Intermediate Competence, composed of five self-assessed communication skills. The Basic Competence construct included overall satisfaction with palliative care skills and with discussing do not resuscitate (DNR) status. The Intermediate Competence construct included responding to inappropriate treatment requests, maintaining hope, and addressing fears about the end-of-life. Our full SEM model found that Basic Competence predicted Intermediate Competence and that Intermediate Competence predicted competence in religious and spiritual discussions. Years of clinical training directly influenced Basic Competence. Increased end-of-life discussions positively influenced Basic Competence and had a complex association with Intermediate Competence. Southeastern trainees perceived more competence in religious and spiritual discussions than northwestern trainees.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that discussion of religious and spiritual issues is a communication skill that trainees consider more advanced than other commonly taught communication skills, such as discussing DNR orders.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. fordd@musc.edu
authors.forename: Dee W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Engelberg
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Back
authors.forename: J Randall
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Curtis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012067:Religion; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014861:Washington