ASPO Abstracts
Geriatric Communication Skills Training for Oncology Health Care Providers: Implementation and Preliminary Efficacy
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication, Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
Purpose of the study: Guided by the NCCN recommendations, prior literature, and discussions with an expert panel in geriatric oncology, a multidisciplinary team at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) developed a novel intervention, the Geriatric Communication Skills Training Program (Geriatric Comskil Training) for oncology health care providers (HCPs). The Geriatric Comskil Training is a one-day training program, comprising of three- modules: 1) Geriatrics 101: familiarizes the learner with the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and provides skills to effectively communicate with older adults presenting with comorbid impairments in vision, hearing, and gait; 2) Cognitive syndromes: teaches clinicians to discuss the risk of cognitive impairment in older adults undergoing cancer treatment including the availability of objective tools for the assessment of potential cognitive decline; and 3) Shared decision making: teaches skills to facilitate shared treatment decision-making with geriatric cancer patients and their family caregivers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and preliminary efficacy of the Geriatric Comskil Training. Simple statement of methods: A pre-post intervention design was utilized to examine changes in HCP self-efficacy (self-reported measure) and uptake of communication skills (using Standardized Patient Assessment or SPA, an 8-minute video recorded interaction between the HCP and the standardized patient). A post-only design was utilized for assessing HCP self-reported evaluation of each training module. Summary of results: Forty four clinicians including mental health professionals, oncologists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners participated in the training. All participants reported high satisfaction with the course, and significant improvements in 10 of the 12 self-efficacy items. Preliminary coded SPA data demonstrated significant uptake of agenda setting skills; Pre-Training M = 0.00, SD = 0.00, Post-Training M = 1.10, SD = 1.37; t(9) = -2.54, p<.05. Statement of conclusions: The Geriatric Comskil Training was received well and demonstrated improvements in learning. Mixed professions in training presents for excellent modeling opportunities for a variety of communication challenges.
Keywords: Geriatric oncology, communication skills training, comprehensive geriatric assessment.