Incorporating shared decision making into communication with older adults with cancer and their caregivers: Development and evaluation of a geriatric shared decision-making communication skills training module.
Megan Johnson Shen, Ruth Manna, Smita C Banerjee and 6 others
PMID 32475710WHAT IT FOUND
Healthcare providers trained in shared decision-making with older cancer patients and their families showed increased confidence and better use of three specific communication skills during simulated consultations.
The training was well-received, but real-world transfer to patient outcomes remains untested.
Key findings
01Participants reported significant improvements in self-efficacy for using shared decision-making approaches after training.
02Observed uptake of three specific communication skills (declare agenda, invite agenda, and check preference) increased significantly in simulated patient interactions.
03Over 95% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the module was useful, and three of four training components were rated as aiding their learning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted at a single cancer center, so results may not apply to other settings. The pre/post design without a control group means we cannot be certain the training caused the improvements. Skill uptake was only measured in simulated interactions, not with real patients, so it is unclear if these skills transfer to actual clinical practice. The subset of participants evaluated for skill uptake was small (n=30), which may have limited the ability to detect changes in other skills. The coding of video interactions had acceptable but not high reliability.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Public Health Service. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this training improves patient outcomes or real-world clinical communication. The study only measured providers' confidence and skill use in simulated environments with a small subset of participants, without a control group or follow-up.