Media Training for Residents in Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Improving Communication Skills and Advocacy for Women’s Health

Abstract

Objective: To measure the effectiveness of a media training program on confidence and communication skills in an interview situation dealing with menopause and perimenopause issues.Subjects: Eighty-two residents in obstetrics and gynaecology from the 16 Canadian training programs.Main outcome measurements: A pre-workshop quiz assessed residents’ media experience, attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, and confidence in dealing with the media. Knowledge and confidence levels were reassessed with a post-workshop quiz. Pre-and post-workshop videotaped interviews with the residents by a professional media training team (NBA Communications, Ottawa, Ontario) were assessed for eight separate communication skills by a media consultant blinded to the order (scoring: poor = 0, fair = I, good = 2, excellent = 3; maximum composite score = 24).Results: Fifty-eight residents (71%) had no media experience whatsoever. While 76 percent felt they had a responsibility to actively participate in public education programs, only nine percent felt they could convey a message with impact. After the workshop, 89 percent of the residents felt they were better able to convey a message to the media and 87 percent felt they could better respond to difficult questions. An improvement in communication skills was demonstrated by 69 percent of the residents and the composite interview score increased by an average of 2.8 points (95% confidence interval = 1.5-4.2).Conclusions: This focused, one-day workshop was an effective means to build residents’ confidence as public educators and to improve their communication skills.