title: Discussing Death, Dying, and End-of-Life Goals of Care: A Communication Skills Training Module for Oncology Nurses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Effective communication, particularly at the end of life, is an essential skill for oncology nurses, but few receive formal training in this area.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this article is to adapt an end-of-life care communication skills training (CST) module, originally developed for oncologists, for oncology nurses and to evaluate participants' confidence in using the communication skills learned and their satisfaction with the module.
  
  
  METHODS
  The adapted end-of-life care module consisted of a 45-minute didactic, exemplary video and 90 minutes of small group interaction and experiential role play with a simulated patient. Using a five-point Likert-type scale, 247 inpatient oncology nurses completed pre-/post-workshop surveys rating their confidence in discussing death, dying, and end-of-life goals of care with patients, as well as overall satisfaction with the module.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nurses' confidence in discussing death, dying, and end-of-life goals of care increased significantly after attending the workshop. Nurse participants indicated satisfaction with the module by agreeing or strongly agreeing to all six items assessing satisfaction 90%-98% of the time. Nurses' CST in discussing death, dying, and end-of-life care showed feasibility, acceptability, and potential benefit at improving confidence in having end-of-life care discussions.
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Nessa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Coyle
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manna
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Smita C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Penn
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pehrson
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Erin K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Talia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaider
authors.affiliation: Hamad Medical Corporation.
authors.forename: Carma L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bylund
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003643:Death; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000592:standards; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology; D013727:Terminal Care
keywords: communication skills; death; dying; end-of-life care; nurse–patient communication; training; transitions in goals of care