Virtual Geritalk: Does Intensive Virtual Communication Skills Training Improve Use of Serious Illness Communication Skills?

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity to adapt in-person communication skills training to a virtual format. Objective: Examine use of serious illness communication skills by learners after participating in an intensive virtual communication skills training. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting/Subjects: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Clinical Fellows. Measurements: Family Meeting Communication Assessment Tool (FAMCAT) assessed fundamental and advanced communication skills. Results: As compared to a historical benchmark obtained after a prior in-person course, the virtual course showed equivalent or better use of communication skills across fundamental skills and advanced skills. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a virtual communication skills training is associated with the use of serious illness communication skills in the clinical setting by learners.

Automated summary

This study aimed to explore the application of serious illness communication skills by clinical fellows after participating in an intensive virtual communication skills training. The results showed that the virtual course exhibited equivalent or better use of communication skills compared to the prior in-person course. This suggests that virtual communication skills training is associated with the use of serious illness communication skills by learners in the clinical setting.