Training Oncology Faculty to Teach Communication Skills

描述(由申请人提供)：文献中有充分的证据表明，善意的肿瘤学家未能以增加患者痛苦和减少症状控制的方式进行充分沟通。然而，许多肿瘤学家的沟通技能并不理想，因为他们从未接受过有效的培训。在之前由国家癌症研究所资助的工作中，我们设计并实施了一个成功而有效的计划，向医学肿瘤学研究员传授沟通技能，称为OncoTalk(R25 92055)。进一步传播沟通技能培训的一个主要障碍是缺乏教授沟通所需的教师技能的教员专业知识。在对具有教授沟通技能的专业知识的肿瘤学教师的需求与拥有这些教学技能的教师的可用性之间存在着巨大的差距。 在这项建议中，我们通过一种独特的干预措施来解决这一教育专业知识差距，我们称之为OncoTalk学院发展，旨在为医学肿瘤学教师提供一套新的教育技能，使他们能够有效地教授沟通。OncoTalk学院发展计划将通过培训48-60个医学肿瘤学项目的96名肿瘤学教员，建立在肿瘤学培训项目中教授沟通的能力，以开发或改进满足研究生医学教育认证委员会规定的要求的肿瘤学研究员的沟通技能培训。OncoTalk校友和领先项目的肿瘤学项目主任高度支持这一提议。 具体目标1：开发可移植课程，以提高医学肿瘤学教师教授沟通技能的能力。 具体目标2：实施为期一年的内科肿瘤学教师发展计划，重点是教授沟通技能。 具体目标3：评估OncoTalk教师发展的结果：教师教学行为、家庭机构研究员沟通技能教育计划的发展，以及肿瘤学研究员对沟通教育质量的评估。 我们修订的提案代表了一种经验性的、基于证据的方法，由一个经验丰富的研究团队与最初的OncoTalk计划创建的一组感兴趣的参与者组成。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is ample evidence in the literature that well-meaning oncologists fail to communicate adequately in ways that increase patient suffering, and decrease symptom control. Yet many oncologists have suboptimal communication skills because they have never received effective training. In previous work funded by the National Cancer Institute, we designed and implemented a successful and efficacious program to teach communication skills to Medical Oncology fellows, called Oncotalk (R25 92055). A major barrier to further dissemination of communication skills training is lack of faculty expertise in faculty skills needed to teach communication. A substantial gap exists between the need for oncology faculty with expertise in teaching communication skills, and the availability of faculty who have these teaching skills. In this proposal, we address this gap in educational expertise with a unique intervention, which we call Oncotalk Faculty Development, designed to give Medical Oncology faculty a new set of educational skills that will enable them to teach communication effectively. The Oncotalk Faculty Development program will create capacity to teach communication in oncology training programs by training 96 oncology faculty at 48- 60 medical oncology programs to develop or improve communication skills training for oncology fellows that meets requirements specified by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education. Oncotalk alumni and oncology programs directors at leading programs are highly supportive of this proposal. Specific Aim 1: To develop a portable curriculum to improve the ability of Medical Oncology faculty to teach communication skills. Specific Aim 2: To implement a year-long faculty development program for Medical Oncology faculty focusing on teaching communication skills. Specific Aim 3: To evaluate the outcomes of Oncotalk Faculty Development on: faculty teaching behaviors, development of communication skills education programs at home institutions for fellows, and the quality of communication education as rated by Oncology fellows. Our revised proposal represents an empirical, evidence-based approach by an accomplished investigator team with a unique group of interested participants created by the original Oncotalk program.