Delivering Bad News: Improving Communication Skills Training of Medical Students and Residents Through the Use of Second Life Technology (755)

Abstract

1.Assessing methods to improve student and resident communication skills with a head-to-head comparison of Second Life technology to more traditional methods.2.Evaluate the effect of training method choice on how residents and students perceive the learning experience.3.Evaluate the validity of using Second Life technology as a teaching tool. One of the most challenging and stressful tasks that clinicians must perform regularly is the communication of bad news with distressed patients. In spite of the importance of this clinical skill, very few doctors receive formal training in this area. Physicians and residents generally report both a lack of confidence and feelings of incompetence when asked to self-assess their communication skills. Research has shown that effective communication is a skill that can be learned. Recently, there have been studies done to explore various methods of communication skills training for adult-learners in medical school and residency programs. Second Life technology is a virtual computer world that has shown promise for providing a positive training experience by allowing trainees to act out a bad news communication experience through the use of “avatars” which are on-line graphical self-representations. 1) Evaluate the effect of various training methods, including the use of Second Life technology, on objective measurements of communication skills 2) Determine how receptive medical trainees are to Second Life technology as a teaching method 3) Examine the validity of using Second Life technology as a teaching tool 4) demonstrate that Second Life technology can improve students' self-assessments of their communication skills. Participating medical students and medical residents were first observed acting as the physician in a clinical scenario during which he/she communicated bad news to a simulated patient. This even was followed by one of 3 pathways to which each was randomized: 1) no additional training, 2) participation in a Second Life scenario using avatars, 3) attending a didactic session. All participants ended the study by participating in an observed scenario similar to the first. Communication skills improved with use of avatars. Second Life is a useful teaching tool.