Table 3:
Participant demographics
| Medical students (n = 27) |
Residents (n = 27) |
Fellows (n = 27) |
Nurse/Nurse Practitioner Students (n = 27) |
All trainees (N = 108) |
Standardized patients (N = 12) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Mean (SD) | 25.50 (1.92) a | 28.70 (2.32) | 32.93 (6.06) | 35.85 (8.94) a | 30.75 (6.78) b | 61.58 (10.06) |
|
| ||||||
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| White | 15 (55.56) | 18 (66.67) | 16 (59.26) | 21 (77.78) | 70 (64.81) | 12 (100.00) |
| African-American | 2 (7.41) | 1 (3.70) | 2 (7.41) | 2 (7.41) | 7 (6.48) | 0 (0.00) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 6 (22.22) | 5 (18.52) | 7 (25.93) | 2 (7.41) | 20 (18.52) | 0 (0.00) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 2 (7.41) | 1 (3.70) | 2 (7.41) | 1 (3.70) | 6 (5.56) | 0 (0.00) |
| Two or More Races c | 2 (7.41) | 2 (7.41) | 0 (0.00) | 1 (3.70) | 5 (4.63) | 0 (0.00) |
|
| ||||||
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 10 (37.04) | 16 (59.26) | 17 (62.96) | 2 (7.41) | 45 (41.67) | 2 (16.67) |
| Female | 17 (62.96) | 11 (40.74) | 10 (37.04) | 25 (92.59) | 63 (58.33) | 10 (83.33) |
|
| ||||||
| Prior formal training or work experience involving interpersonal communication d | NA | |||||
| No | 22 (81.48) | 27 (100.00) | 23 (85.19) | 19 (70.37) | 91 (84.26) | |
| Yes | 5 (18.52) | 0 (0.00) | 4 (14.81) | 8 (29.63) | 17 (15.74) | |
|
| ||||||
| Experience contributing to EOL conversations with patients and/or patient’s families | NA | |||||
| Never (0 conversations) | 14 (51.85) | 5 (18.52) | 1 (3.70) | 5 (18.52) | 25 (23.15) | |
| Few (1–3 conversations) | 11 (40.74) | 13 (48.15) | 3 (11.11) | 10 (37.04) | 37 (34.26) | |
| Some (4–10 conversations) | 2 (7.41) | 5 (18.52) | 9 (33.33) | 7 (25.93) | 23 (21.30) | |
| Many (>10 conversations) | 0 (0.00) | 4 (14.81) | 14 (51.85) | 5 (18.52) | 23 (21.30) | |
|
| ||||||
| Experience leading EOL conversations with patients and/or patient’s families | NA | |||||
| Never (0 conversations) | 21 (77.78) | 12 (44.44) | 2 (7.41) | 14 (51.85) | 49 (45.37) | |
| Few (1–3 conversations) | 5 (18.52) | 7 (25.93) | 4 (14.81) | 5 (18.52) | 21 (19.44) | |
| Some (4–10 conversations) | 1 (3.70) | 5 (18.52) | 8 (29.63) | 4 (14.81) | 18 (16.67) | |
| Many (>10 conversations) | 0 (0.00) | 3 (11.11) | 13 (48.15) | 4 (14.81) | 20 (18.52) | |
SD = Standard Deviation; EOL = end-of-life; NA = Not Applicable
Categorical measures reported as frequency (column %).
a
n = 1 missing value
b
n = 2 missing values
c
n = 1 trainee selected ‘Other’ Race/Ethnicity and provided an open-text response that was recoded and reported here as part of the ‘Two or More Races’ category
d
e.g. a degree in communication, prior work as a social worker, etc.