Table 2.
Residents' self-ratings for confidence in their ability to communicate before, immediately after, and 2 months after the workshop.
| Pre (n = 28) | Post (n = 28) | F/U (n = 24) | Pre to post | Pre to F/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I feel confident in my ability to… | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | p | p |
| Break bad news in general | 3.4 (0.9) | 4.0 (0.5) | 4.2 (0.6) | <0.001 | 0.003 |
| Create a supportive environment | 3.9 (0.7) | 4.2 (0.6) | 4.4 (0.7) | 0.026 | 0.004 |
| Reduce or eliminate signs that I am nervous or anxious | 3.0 (0.7) | 3.8 (0.7) | 3.9 (0.8) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Use language that is non-technical and easily understood | 4.0 (0.9) | 4.4 (0.6) | 4.2 (0.9) | 0.005 | NS |
| Adjust the rate and amount of information I provide | 3.6 (0.7) | 4.1 (0.6) | 3.9 (0.7) | <0.001 | 0.095 |
| Listen to patients' concerns | 4.2 (0.6) | 4.2 (0.6) | 4.6 (0.7) | NS | 0.030 |
| Explore a patient's expectations | 3.6 (0.7) | 4.2 (0.6) | 4.2 (0.7) | <0.001 | 0.016 |
| Empathize with a patient | 4.2 (0.7) | 4.4 (0.6) | 4.6 (0.6) | 0.057 | 0.022 |
| Avoid portraying more hope or optimism that I believe exists to deal with the patients' emotions | 3.1 (0.9) | 4.0 (0.7) | 4.1 (0.7) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Summarize information in a way that is easy to understand | 3.6 (0.6) | 4.0 (0.8) | 4.1 (0.7) | 0.017 | 0.001 |
| Anticipate possible responses by patients | 3.3 (0.8) | 3.7 (0.7) | 3.8 (0.5) | 0.003 | 0.002 |
| Deal with difficult emotions from families | 3.3 (0.9) | 3.7 (0.7) | 4.0 (0.7) | 0.005 | 0.007 |
| Close the conversation in an appropriate way | 3.6 (0.8) | 4.0 (0.6) | 4.3 (0.6) | 0.007 | <0.001 |
| Mean score | 3.6 (0.4) | 4.1 (0.4) | 4.2 (0.4) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
Paired t-test assessed residents' self-report changes from pre- to post-workshop and pre-workshop to 2-month post-workshop; Items ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) on a Likert-type scale; NS, non-significant.