Medical Communication Training: The Effect of Gender and Experience with Goals of Care Discussions

Abstract

Background. Communication skills are increasingly recognized as a crucial component of medical training. However, little is known about the efficacy of various training methods when considering diverse student backgrounds, such as gender and prior training experience (i.e., year of residency). Objective. This study explores medical learners’ perception of effective communication in conducting goals of care (GOC) discussions with patients after receiving communication training as well as assessing for differences in preparedness for GOC discussions by gender and prior training experience. Participants. A sample of 114 residents in either their first, second, or third year of internal medicine residency. Main Measure. Participants participated in the communication training and completed pre- and –post- surveys on perceived effectiveness in GOC discussions. Design. We employed multivariate analyses of the surveys. Main Measures. The main measure was to examine residents’ perception of preparedness as defined by residents perceived effectiveness of care, confidence in having GOC discussions with patients, confidence in making recommendations that align with patient values, and the perceived value of GOC training. Key Results. We found that after communication training most residents, regardless of gender or year of residency, felt more effective in having healthcare conversations with patients and making GOC healthcare recommendations. We also found that males and females reported differences in experiences in practicing GOC discussions depending on prior training in medical school. Conclusion. The study also shows that the same curriculum is effective for residents at each level of training, but more research on the interaction effect between prior training and gender is needed.