COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS IN NEPHROLOGY – THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE
Dr Jenny Chen1,2, Dr Adam Steinberg3,4, Dr Amy Waters5,6, Dr Sarah Roxburgh7,8, Dr Kelly Li5,6, Dr Franziska Pettit5,6, Dr Camilla Chan9, Dr Kirsten Hepburn10, Ms Laura Austin10, Dr Kathryn Ducharlet11, Dr Balaji Hiremagalur12, Dr Grace Walpole11,13, Dr Elizabeth Stallworthy14
1Wollongong Hospital, Wollongong, Australia, 2University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 3The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, 4University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 5St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia, 6University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 7Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia, 8University of Sydney, Sydney , Australia, 9The Sutherland Hospital, Sydney, Australia, 10Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia, 11Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia, 12Gold Coast Health and Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia, 13Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, 14Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
Aim: To evaluate participant experience in nephrology-specific workshops to improve communication skills for delivering serious news.
Background: Communication skills are essential for the shared decision-making process when managing patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. However, there is no standardised, structured training program currently available in Australia for nephrology trainees.
Methods: We conducted three nephrology-specific, structured communication workshops with simulated patients and trained facilitators in 2023 for nephrology trainees, nurses, and nephrologists in Australia: two state-wide workshops and one national workshop. Using the self-reported participant surveys, we examined the effectiveness of the workshop delivery, acquisition of communication skills, and interest in future communication skill practice sessions.
Results: Of the 54 participants who attended the workshops, 28 (52%) participants were nephrology trainees, 23 (42%) were nephrology nurses and 3 (6%) were nephrologists. For self-reported scores (1 = strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree), the overall satisfaction scores were 4.9 (interquartile range [IQR] 4.8-5.0) for the national workshop, 4.9 (IQR 4.8-5.0) for the state-wide workshop in New South Wales, and 4.8 (IQR 4.7-4.8) for the state-wide workshop in Queensland. Roleplay with simulated patients was considered effective (median 5, IQR 5-5), and the training sessions were considered enjoyable (median 5, IQR 5-5) in all workshops. The majority agreed the workshop provided training of new skills (median 5, IQR 4-5) and would recommend the workshop to others (median 5, IQR 5-5).
Conclusions: Nephrology-specific, structured communication training was considered useful, effective, and enjoyable by participants across different training experiences and skill levels. Incorporating such training workshops into all nephrology training programs could standardise professional quality of nephrology trainees and ensure holistic patient care with both emotional and cognitive supports from health professionals.
Biography:
Dr Jenny Chen is a nephrologist at Wollongong Hospital in NSW. Jenny has special interests in peritoneal dialysis, kidney supportive care and communication skills. She is the current convenor of the ANZDATA PD Working Group and is a member of the ANZSPM/ANZSN Kidney Supportive Care Special Interest Group.