Patel Hamish, Chiva Giurca Bogdan, Mukundu Nagesh Navin, Hibell Isabella, Beattie Miriam, Saint Matthew, Lau Gareth
Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK.
J Cancer Educ. 2019 Dec;34(6):1242-1246. doi: 10.1007/s13187-019-01498-2.
With the rising global burden of cancer, healthcare professionals will inevitably be involved directly or indirectly in the care of cancer patients. Although medical education has recently evolved to emphasise the biopsychosocial model, current training regarding difficult communication skills and breaking bad news remains inadequate. Our aim was to utilise a novel method of teaching communication skills through public engagement. This was achieved by setting up a local network of cancer patients who were willing to share their stories to aid student learning. A group of medical students from years one to four interviewed a total of 48 cancer patients about their illness experiences. Student reflections were collated, producing three common themes: (1) knowing what to say, (2) seeing the person in the patient, and (3) understanding the consequences of poor communication. The experiences allowed students to develop their communication skills, learn from patient experiences, and reflect on their future practice. Patient stories, including art, drawings, and poems, were collated in the form of a book and disseminated to promote further learning. We hope our reflections and public engagement initiative will identify key areas of difficult communication, enhance learning, and prepare students for meaningful and often difficult conversation in cancer care. Similar principles could be used in other areas of medical education to allow students to develop safe and effective interpersonal skills.
随着全球癌症负担的不断增加，医疗保健专业人员将不可避免地直接或间接地参与癌症患者的护理工作。尽管医学教育最近已发展为强调生物心理社会模式，但目前关于困难沟通技巧和告知坏消息的培训仍然不足。我们的目标是通过公众参与采用一种新颖的沟通技巧教学方法。这是通过建立一个当地的癌症患者网络来实现的，这些患者愿意分享他们的故事以帮助学生学习。一群大一至大四的医学生总共采访了48名癌症患者，了解他们的患病经历。整理了学生的反馈意见，得出了三个共同主题：（1）知道该说什么，（2）看到患者背后的人，以及（3）理解沟通不畅的后果。这些经历使学生能够提高他们的沟通技巧，从患者经历中学习，并反思他们未来的实践。患者的故事，包括艺术作品、绘画和诗歌，被整理成一本书并分发以促进进一步学习。我们希望我们的反思和公众参与倡议将确定困难沟通的关键领域，加强学习，并让学生为癌症护理中有意义且往往困难的对话做好准备。类似的原则可用于医学教育的其他领域，以使学生发展安全有效的人际沟通技巧。
