Engagement and listening skills: identifying learning needs

摘要

Context and setting Communication during difficult medical interactions is often taught and assessed as a series of discrete tasks, the sum of which comprise the interaction. Just as important, however, are less tangible aspects of communication such as engagement and emotional presence. In particular, good listening skills have been identified as predictive of family satisfaction during the delivery of bad news. We sought to gain a sense of the relative communication strengths and deficiencies present in paediatric and neonatal critical care doctor trainees using a 360-degree tool.Why the idea was necessary The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has identified communication skills as an area requiring more focused teaching and assessment. Recent literature has identified listening skills and engagement as crucial to an effective interaction, yet these aspects can be more difficult to teach. Determining the relative strengths and weaknesses of trainees in different aspects of communication will allow the development of appropriate educational interventions.