Table 2.
Comparison of Skills Demonstrated in Conversations with Standardized Patients before and after a Skills Building Workshop
| Skill set | n pairsa | Baseline % (n) with skill | Postworkshop % (n) with skill | Change | Pb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPIKES | Assessed patient's Perception or understanding of the illness | 145 | 22.8 (33) | 39.3 (57) | 16.6 | 0.001 |
| Asked patient if it was a good time to talk (Invitation) | 145 | 4.8 (7) | 31.0 (45) | 26.2 | <0.001 | |
| Used word “cancer” when giving bad news (Knowledge) | 145 | 76.6 (111) | 84.8 (123) | 8.3 | 0.112 | |
| Waited 10+ seconds after delivering bad news (Knowledge) | 144 | 65.3 (94) | 79.9 (115) | 14.6 | 0.002 | |
| Made Empathic statement immediately after giving bad news | 142 | 49.3 (70) | 69.0 (98) | 19.7 | 0.001 | |
| Asked questions about patient's Emotions related to bad news | 144 | 18.1 (26) | 23.6 (34) | 5.6 | 0.280 | |
| NURSE | Named an emotion | 145 | 31.7 (46) | 42.1 (61) | 10.3 | 0.046 |
| Expressed Understanding of an emotion | 145 | 82.8 (120) | 80.7 (117) | −2.1 | 0.735 | |
| Showed Respect for, or praise of, patient | 145 | 3.4 (5) | 14.5 (21) | 11.0 | 0.001 | |
| Assured patient of Support throughout disease process | 145 | 26.9 (39) | 50.3 (73) | 23.4 | <0.001 | |
| Asked questions about patient's Emotions (other than after bad news) | 145 | 48.3 (70) | 71.0 (103) | 22.8 | <0.001 |
a
Number of cases with assessment at both the pre- and postworkshop session.
b
P-values were based on McNemar's tests for differences between the baseline and postworkshop session.