Study	Reason for exclusion
Acher 2004	Not an RCT, no objective behavioural outcome measurement.
Ades 2001	Not an RCT. No CST.
Alexander 2006	Not an RCT. Case‐control study of a course to improve residents' communication skills with patients at end of life.
Anderson 1982	Not an RCT. No controls, post‐CST course measurement only.
Andrew 1998	Not an RCT. Qualitative study of CST in palliative care.
Arranz 2005	Not an RCT. Post‐intervention assessment counselling course for nurses. No objective measurements of skills.
Arrighi 2010	Not an RCT. Exploratory study conducted in patients not HCPs.
Back 2005	Not an RCT. Questionaire survey of bereaved relatives.
Back 2007	Not an RCT. Pre‐post cohort study of a 4‐day residential workshop in oncology fellows with objective measurements of HCP behaviour.
Baile 1997	Not an RCT. Pre‐post cohort study of a 3‐day CST. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Baile 1999	Not an RCT. Pre‐post cohort study of a 2.5‐day CST. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Berman 1983	Not an RCT. Post‐study subjective measurement of behavioural change of an annual seminar for interns on caring for dying patients.
Bernard 2010	Not an RCT. Case‐control study of a course for medical oncologists and nurses with pre‐post measurements of HCP skills and defence mechanisms.
Bird 1993	Not an RCT. Post‐study subjective measurement of behavioural change of 2.5‐day residential workshop.
Booth 1996	Not a RCT. Pre‐post cohort study of a 6‐session CST course for hospice nurses measuring HCP skills in audio‐taped interviews.
Brown 1999	An RCT of CST in ambulatory care, not in cancer care. No objective measure of HCP skills.
Brown 2007	Not an RCT. A course of communication skills training for oncologists involved in conducting clinical trials in oncology. Training was aimed at improving patient understanding and acceptance of clinical trials.
Brown 2011	Not an RCT. Study of oncologists communication during interviews when recruiting patients for Phase 1 trials.
Brown 2012	HCP communication skills were not assessed.
Burgess 2008	Not an RCT.
Bylund 2010	Not an RCT. Pre‐post study of CST course for oncologists.
Bylund 2011a	Not an RCT.Description of implementation of CST curriculum and impressions of participants.
Bylund 2011b	Not an RCT. Before‐after assessment of a non‐controlled study of CST for patients.
Cantwell 1997	A qualitative study of junior doctors opinion of undergraduate communication skills in relation to patients with cancer.
Caps 2010	Not an RCT.
Chandawarkar 2011	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment using simulated patients of CST for surgical residents.
Charlton 1993	Not an RCT.
Clark 2009	An RCT of patients with cancer receiving patient‐centred care or usual care.
Claxton 2011	An RCT of email education for residents about palliative care. Not specifically communication skills. No objective measurement of skills reported.
Connolly 2010	Not an RCT. Post course measurement of "Sage and Thyme" communication course. No objective measurement of skills reported.
Cort 2009	RCT studying the effect of a course on cognitive behaviour therapy. No objective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Cowan 1997	Not an RCT. Measured changes in attitudes/knowledge, not behaviour. No separate control group.
Craytor 1978	Not an RCT. Measured changes in attitudes/knowledge, not behaviour. No separate control group.
Crit 2006	Not an RCT.
de Bie 2011	Not communication skills training. Trial involved training patients to reduce anxiety prior to colonoscopy.
de Rond 2000	Quasi‐RCT on training nurses about pain management. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change.
Del 2009	Not an RCT. Qualitative study of how experienced doctors give good and bad news.
Delvaux 1997	Not an RCT. Psychological training programme.
Dixon 2001	Not an RCT. Pre‐post study of 12 week distance education for nurses working in breast cancer care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Durgahee 1997	Not an RCT. 5 years experience of reflection through story‐telling for students of palliative care.
Fallowfield 1998	Not an RCT. Cohort of 178 senior oncologists who assisted 1.5 or 3 day CST. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Fallowfield 2001	Not an RCT. Cohort of 129 nurses. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Faulkner 1984	Not an RCT. Cohort of 8 nurses working in cancer who assisted CST.
Faulkner 1992	Not an RCT. Evaluation of training programmes for communication skills in palliative care.
Favre 2007	Not an RCT. Pre‐post defence mechanism assessment of CST for oncologists.
Ferrell 1998a	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of HOPE course for HCP in palliative care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Ferrell 1998b	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of HOPE course for HCP in palliative care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Fineberg 2005	Not an RCT. Quasi experimental design with pre‐post assessment of a course on family communication in palliative care for interdisciplinary students. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Finset 2003	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of CST for HCP. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Fujimori 2003	Not an RCT.Post course assessment of CST for oncologists. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Fukui 2008	RCT of CST for nurses in cancer care. No objective measurement of behavioural change reported. Patient outcomes were only measured in the intervention group, not in the control group.
Girgis 1997	Not an RCT. Measured change in attitude/knowledge not skills, not behaviour.
Glimelius 1995	Not an RCT.
Gordon 1995	Not an RCT. Post course assessment of 2.5‐day or 5‐day course of CST. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Gutheil 2005	Not an RCT. Patients not HCPs trained in communication skills.
Hainsworth 1996	RCT of a course for nurses on death education. Not specifically for nurses working in cancer care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Hall 1999	Not an RCT.
Hallenbeck 1999	Not an RCT. A questionnaire of interns before and after their rotation in palliative care.
Heaven 1996	Not an RCT. A 10 week CST for hospice nurses with assessment of ability to elicit patient concerns.
Heaven 1996b	Not an RCT. A 10‐week CST for hospice nurses with assessment of abiltity to elicit patient concerns.
Hellbom 2001	Not an RCT. Post course assessment of a 4‐session CST course. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Hietanen 2007	Not an RCT. Case control study of a course on communication skills training for physicians involved in conducting clinical trials in oncology. Training was aimed at improving patient understanding and acceptance of clinical trials.
Hoffman 2002	Not an RCT. Description of CST course for oncology residents and their views about the course.
Hulsman 1997	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of a computer‐assisted CST for doctors in cancer care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Hulsman 2002	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of a computer assisted CST for doctors in cancer care using videotapes of real patient encounter.
Hundley 2008	An RCT of a course of delivering bad news. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Jefford 2011	Not an RCT. Patients received care package.
Ke 2008	An RCT of 50‐minute CST lecture for nurses. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Kinnane 2011	Not an RCT. Study conducted in volunteers not HCPs.
Kruse 2003	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of a comparison between 6‐hour and 24‐hour CST programs.
La Monica 1987	Not an RCT. Study of 4‐week session on responding to empathy.
Ladouceur 2003	Not an RCT. Post course assessment of course of breaking bad news. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Larbig 2009	Not an RCT. On‐line counselling for patients.
Lenzi 2011	Not an RCT. Pre‐ and post‐assessment of a 3‐day CST workshop in a cohort of 57 Italian oncologists. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Libert 2003	Not an RCT. A cohort of physicians were assessed with regard to their communication skills.
Linder 1999	Measured change in attitude/knowledge not skills, not behaviour.
Liu 2007	Not an RCT. Quasi‐experimental study of CST in nurses.
Lloyd‐Williams 1996	Not an RCT. Measured change in attitude/knowledge not skills, not behaviour.
Loiselle 2011	Not an RCT.
Macauley 2011	Not an RCT.
Madhavan 2011	Not an RCT.
Maguire 1996a	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of a 3‐5‐day course on key communication skills for HCP in cancer care. Measurement with simulated and real patient encounters.
Maguire 1996b	Not an RCT. Similar to Maguire 1996a.
Martinez 2009	Not an RCT, a survey of patient satisfaction with communication/information.
Matrone 1990	Not an RCT.
Melo 2011	Not an RCT. A case‐control study of a course on communication, spiritual advice and death for HCP. Only subjective measurements of behaviour change and measurement of burnout.
O'Connor 2011	Not an RCT. A survey of focus groups including pharmacists, nurses and doctors.
Parle 1997	Not an RCT. Post‐course assessment of a 3‐day workshop on difficult situations. Only subjective assessment of behavioural change reported.
Pekmezaris 2011	Not an RCT. Pre‐post assessment of a course for residents about end of life care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change are reported.
Pelayo 2011	RCT of on‐line course on palliative care. Only subjective measurement of behavioural change reported.
Pieterse 2006	Not an RCT. Pre‐ and post‐test study of CST for genetic counsellors.
Rask 2009	RCT of a 33‐hour CST course for nurses. No objective measurement of behaviour change reported. Assessment of patient perception of HCP's skills.
Razavi 1991	Not an RCT. Study of a brief psychological training for HCP working with terminal cancer patients. Only subjective measurements of behaviour and attitude change reported.
Razavi 2000	Not an RCT. Study comparing different simulated patients to measure behavioural change after CST.
Razavi 2009	Not an RCT, a summary of research.
Rose 2008	Not an RCT. A review of psycho‐oncology interventions for patients with cancer.
Rosenbloom 2007	RCT of an intervention for patients with cancer comparing nurse assessment of quality of life compared to normal care.
Roter 1995	RCT of CST for primary care physicians. Study not primarily related to cancer care. Assessment using audio‐tapes of encounters with distressed and non‐distressed real and simulated patients.
Rushton 2006	Not an RCT.
Rutter 1996	Not an RCT.
Schulman‐Green 2003	Not an RCT. Qualitative study of how HCP learn about caring for the dying.
Shannon 2011	Not an RCT. Post assessment study of a brief CST for nurses. Only subjective assessment of change reported.
Shields 2010	An RCT of coaching for survivors of breast cancer.
Shipman 2008	Not an RCT.
Shorr 2000	Not an RCT. Cohort study of invention to help HCP discuss end of life issues with patients, not specifically limited to cancer care.
Smith 1991	Not an RCT. Case‐controlled study of a 1‐month CST for residents. Only subjective measurement of change reported.
Smith 2010	An RCT of an intervention comparing a pain/communication session to normal care for patients with cancer.
Street 2010	RCT of CST training (tailored education‐coaching) for patients with cancer.
Szmuilowicz 2010	An RCT of CST in HCPs who did not work specifically in cancer care.
Timmermans 2006	Not an RCT. Pre‐post study of CST training for radiation oncologists. Assessment of oncologists and patient communication in audiotapes of real patient encounters.
Ullrich 2011	Not an RCT. Pre‐post quasi‐RCT of CST for speech therapists. Only subjective measurement of change were reported.
Von Gunten 1998	Not an RCT. Measured change in attitude/knowledge not skills, not behaviour.
Wetzel 2011	RCT of training in stress management for surgeons, not communication training. Not limited to cancer care.
Wilkinson 1998	Not an RCT. Cohort study with pre‐post assessment of 26‐hour CST (including knowledge, attitude and skills training) for nurses. Audiotaped patient encounters measured behavioural change.
Wilkinson 1999	Not an RCT. Long‐term follow‐up of cohort study.
Wilkinson 2003	Not an RCT. Cohort study with pre‐post assessment of 3‐day CST for nurses. Audiotaped patient encounters measured behavioural change.
Wong 2001	Not an RCT. Post‐assessment of a course on death education for nurses. Only subjective measurement of changes reported.
Wuensch 2011	RCT of communication skills training for physicians involved in conducting clinical trials in oncology. Training was aimed at improving patient understanding and acceptance of clinical trials.

CST: communication skills training HCP: healthcare professional RCT: randomised controlled trial