Using a Standardized Client Encounter to Practice Death Notification after theUnexpected Death of a Feline Patient Following Routine Ovariohysterectomy.

Abstract

Death notification is an important skill for health care providers to carry out, yet few clinicians feel adequately prepared to complete this task. To address these gaps in clinical training, some medical educators have incorporated standardized patients (SPs) into the curriculum to allow students to practice death notification in a safe, controlled environment. Veterinary educators agree that end-of-life communication skills are essential for success in clinical practice, and many rely on standardized clients (SCs) for role-play concerning euthanasia. However, anticipatory loss is distinct from unexpected death, and death notification is strikingly absent from the veterinary literature. To introduce students to death notification, Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine (MWU CVM) developed a communications curriculum that culminated in a scripted encounter, "Basil, the Scottish Fold." Students must explain to an SC that his kitten died following routine ovariohysterectomy. Pre- and post-event surveys completed by 19 students demonstrated valuable lessons in death notification word choice, particularly what not to say. I hope that this teaching tool may be adapted for use by other colleges of veterinary medicine to allow students to practice death notification.