Leadership

Background

When I first started research at the ACORN Center, I didn’t have a specific area of interest. After three years at this center, I can confidently say this has changed. One of the primary research interests I’ve picked up over these years is communication research, particularly within the patient-provider relationship. My research in this field has taught me how important communication is in healthcare. Numerous studies have found that poor communication in healthcare contributes to medical mistrust and poorer patient outcomes. Talking with members of my pre-medical fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon, I realized that many pre-health students similarly recognize the importance of communication but don’t have a way to learn the skills required for successful interactions properly. To address this problem, I propose the development of a healthcare communication training course at USC.

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Problem Definition

In the Spring of 2021, I took SCHC 284: Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science, taught by Dr. Robin Dawon. As outlined in my Key Insight #3, this class instructed me on concrete techniques to improve communication in the clinical setting by teaching specific skills I could implement in patient interactions, such as backchanneling and the nuances of delivering bad news. It also highlighted the importance of good interprofessional relationships within the healthcare system. Each member of the healthcare system, no matter their role in patient care, should be able to successfully communicate with patients and one another due to the direct link between good communication (with patients and professionals) and positive health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and better patient adherence to treatment plans. The class was my initial introduction to the world of healthcare communication, which I would become immersed in during my time at USC.

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After taking this class, I conducted a research study under the course instructor and my mentor, Dr. Robin Dawson, which evaluated the course's effectiveness in teaching communication skills. The study was my first collegiate opportunity to conduct a research study from start to finish as the primary author. The study surveyed students who had previously taken the class, a cohort of interdisciplinary (nursing, pre-medical, pre-pharmacy) honors undergraduate students. The results of this study further proved the importance of clinical communication and, more importantly, the importance of a course dedicated to teaching communication and open to all pre-health students. Respondents emphasized how much they valued the training they received in the class and how they could implement learned skills in clinical and non-clinical encounters. Upon completing the course, surveyed students recognized the importance of clear communication and learned methods to utilize these skills. Participants also reported that the interdisciplinary nature allowed them to anticipate how to approach future interprofessional interactions. Introducing good communication practices before clinical entry, and threading it through all health sciences courses, provides a comprehensive approach to communication skills training. 

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Poor healthcare communication has repeatedly been linked to limited patient understanding of illness and treatment, the substandard transition of care, poor patient outcomes, and increased patient complaints surrounding clinicians and healthcare services. Together they can easily be seen as a public health issue when enough providers fail to communicate appropriately and clearly with their patients and the rest of the staff in their clinical system. Thus, efficient healthcare communication is the keystone of interprofessional and patient interactions, and providers should be held to a certain standard concerning their communication abilities. Currently, no courses focused solely on communication are offered at USC to teach these skills to all pre-health undergraduate students. The SCHC 284 course described above is an excellent exemplar of the material that students should learn. However, its primary focus is on laboratory science, only has about 20 seats, and is restricted to South Carolina Honors College students. Because of the importance of clear communication in the healthcare field, all pre-health students could benefit from a class in their undergraduate education to teach them these skills early on, so they can reflect on them and implement them in their future clinical encounters.

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Problem Solution

Due to the universal importance of communication within the healthcare field, I argue for creating an undergraduate-level healthcare communication training course open for all pre-health students at USC. This course would help students understand the importance of communication in healthcare, both between professionals and with the patient, and teach concrete skills that students could transfer to later clinical practice. The skills taught in this course would improve patient satisfaction and communication between professionals in the healthcare system.

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Implementation

The proposed course would be implemented at the undergraduate level for all pre-health students at USC. This class would draw heavy inspiration from the SCHC 284 course developed by Dr. Robin Dawson at USC. However, while SCHC 284 was focused on laboratory science with an integration of communication skills training, this course would focus solely on communication training. The course would be available on a university level to all pre-health students at USC and the interdisciplinary nature would allow for a deeper appreciation and understanding of how various professions communicate and work together within the healthcare system. This class would aim to (1) teach students why clear communication is essential in the healthcare system and (2) give them concrete skills they can implement to engage in clearer communication with patients.

 

Students would be taught communication's importance in healthcare by watching videos like those posted in Key Insight #3 and attending guest lectures from professors at USC and the USC School of Medicine who have worked in the healthcare field and with research experience in communications training. Watching different clinical encounter videos would allow students to analyze and discuss interactions as a class,   addressing things done well and  thinking about what

they would change. Guest speakers would empower students by sharing personal experiences regarding how communication techniques can impact patient care. The attached Ted Talk by Christine Tackett is an excellent example of the type of information speakers would present to students and how it would work to empower them. Lectures would share videos of clinical interactions, and students would engage in discussion over what was done well and what parts were done poorly.

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The class would teach communication skills in a didactic

manner,  giving students concrete skills they can actively

use in the field. Students would be asked to practice these skills by applying them to different medical scenarios, from delivering a cancer diagnosis to seeing a patient for their yearly checkup. To encourage active applications of these skills, students would engage in practice interaction sessions with standardized patients two times in the semester and receive feedback on their techniques. The final exam for this course would be set up similarly to these practices, and students would be assessed on their ability to communicate during a medical encounter with a standardized patient. Students would be given traditional exams three times a semester to test didactic material. Here, learning would be assessed using short answer questions asking how students would communicate with patients in different scenarios. Additionally, a pre and post-test would be given at the beginning and end of the semester to see how the communication skills taught in the class impacted students’ responses.

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Significance

This project has the potential to improve communication within the healthcare setting significantly. Training all pre-health students in communication raises the groups’ holistic ability to communicate clearly while fostering an environment of co-relations that mimics future professional environments. This training has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes on a large scale since students would pick up these skills early on and can apply and practice them throughout their clinical training. The application-heavy nature of the course also means they would receive real-time, personalized advice on improving their communication skills. This course would also bolster pre-health students’ portfolios when applying to secondary programs by giving them an exciting course to discuss during applications.