In-Person and Virtual Adaptation of an Interprofessional Palliative Care Communications Skills Training Course for Pediatric Oncology Clinicians

Authors

• Karen Moody, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Clark R. Andersen, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Robert M. Arnold, University of Pittsburgh School of MedicineFollow
• Julie Bradley, Children's Hospital ColoradoFollow
• Allie Carter, Indiana University School of MedicineFollow
• Lauren Draper, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and Saint Louis UniversityFollow
• Timothy Garrington, University of Colorado School of MedicineFollow
• Jonathan B. Gill, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Douglas J. Harrison, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Masanori Hayashi, University of Colorado School of MedicineFollow
• Amy Heaton, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Cynthia Holladay, Indiana University School of MedicineFollow
• Alex Lion, Indiana University School of MedicineFollow
• Alakh Rajan, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Beatriz N. Rozo, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Daniel V. Runco, Indiana University School of MedicineFollow
• Shermini Saini, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and Saint Louis UniversityFollow
• Laura K. Salvador, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterFollow
• Kathryn Sutton, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory UniversityFollow
• Verna Ferguson, Saint Louis University Trudy Busch Valentine School of NursingFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Introduction

Empathic communication is crucial for clinicians when discussing palliative and end-of-life (PC/EOL) care with parents of children with cancer. Unfortunately, many parents report inadequate communication at these distressing times. This study evaluates the communication skills training (CST) clinicians received to deliver a PC/EOL communication intervention as part of a multi-site randomized-controlled trial (RCT). Training was provided using an in-person format and then adapted to a virtual platform to accommodate remote learners.

Methods

Clinicians were trained in dyads (one physician and one nurse [RN] or advanced practice provider [APP]) over 3 days (in-person or virtually). Four pediatric oncology cases were developed and each incorporated three timepoints: diagnosis, disease progression, and end-of life. Training was adapted from VitalTalk^TM and included didactic instruction, videos, visual aids, and role play. Participants completed a confidential, post-training survey. A self-reported quality assurance checklist measured fidelity to the intervention during the RCT.

Results

Thirty clinicians completed training; 26 completed post-training surveys including 46.1% physicians, 30.8% RNs, and 23.1% APPs. Most were female (65.4%); white (80.8%), and 40-50 years old (53.9%). Nine (34.6%) trained in-person; the rest trained virtually. Ninety-two percent reported the course was valuable/very valuable for developing PC/EOL communication skills and 96% learned something new. Dyads trained virtually had similar fidelity to those trained in-person (95% and 90% respectively) when delivering the intervention to parents.

Discussion

This PC/EOL CST, implemented in-person and virtually, was valuable for improving pediatric oncology clinicians’ communication skills and was translated effectively into practice.

PMCID

PMC12629249

DOI

https://doi.org/10.52519/ACEQI.25.1.1.a2

Grants and Funding

R01 CA235632/CA/NCI NIH HHS

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Moody K, Andersen CR, Arnold RM, Bradley J, Carter A, Draper L, Garrington T, Gill JB, Harrison DJ, Hayashi M, Heaton A, Holladay C, Lion A, Rajan A, Rozo BN, Runco DV, Saini S, Salvador LK, Sutton K, Ferguson V. In-Person and Virtual Adaptation of an Interprofessional Palliative Care Communications Skills Training Course for Pediatric Oncology Clinicians. Advances in Cancer Education and Quality Improvement. 2025; 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.52519/ACEQI.25.1.1.a2.