Table 4.

Qualitative Assessment

Themes and Subthemes	Quotes
1. Specific changes in practice
1a. Making sense	It’s something that we unfortunately use quite often in our everyday life, so it was really nice to come home and start using it right away. I thought that was good.
1b. Implemented one to one	It was partly some very specific phrases that I think you can use in a difficult conversation, because sometimes it’s hard which words to use and which not to use. I just did it as I remembered it from the course and it even in that form, it actually worked.
1c. Learning from peers	Some of the fellow course participants had some good phrases that you could just pick up. I definitely think that I got some good formulations from some of the other course participants.
2.Self-awareness
2a. Role and responsibility	So, then I could see that no matter how you do it, it’s something they are upset about. I did not think that I was as much of a failure as I usually think when I talk to them. It’s just the nature of it. And then there are a lot of things that are problems that we can help fix, but – and as xxx says, there is no. of course there is also a bad way to say that people have myeloma. But even with the good, correct, empathetic doctor, people will of course still be upset because it’s a bad news to receive. As a doctor, you do not have to leave thinking, “Oh, it’s too bad that she cried when I told her, because it’s completely natural that she cried.
2b. More courage and less reluctance	Well, I think that thing with talking to patients about, about the last time even though they are not terminally dying right there. I have - I have probably been - had a tendency NOT to get into that because I thought it was too difficult to get into it on top of everything else, we are struggling with… [.] That’s how I started thinking more about it - that it’s not something I have to fix… I just need to say… just unpack it a bit, so that - that.
2c. Changing the physician - changing practice	And I think that has been like a “Ah-experience” to work with. And it was probably a. uh, a small process that started there with the actors, and that you uh. had a good experience with it, actually. That. I think I have been a little afraid of saying the wrong thing, and where I probably took away from it was that it matters, so if you do not really say anything, sometimes it just slowly loosens up, and then. You can sort of open up, and not say anything, so you actually get some pretty exciting conversations out of it.
3.Sense of security in the course.
3a. Other participants	Because you felt comfortable with them, because you had been on courses with them so many times.
3b. improvised theatre	I thought it was. I experienced it as a safe learning situation, so I only have good things to say about that. I thought it was a really nice and safe working environment.