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Curatola N, Juergens N, Atkinson MK, Schnipper JL, Weiss R, Cohen EY, Cimino J, To C, Bambury EA, Barkoudah E, Mani S, Khalil H, Mora R, Maru J, Harrison JD. Inpatients' understanding of the hospitalist role and common medical terminology. J Hosp Med 2024. [PMID: 39199015 DOI: 10.1002/jhm.13492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Many patients are unable to identify members of their hospital care team and experience confusion regarding some medical terminology used during hospitalization, including descriptions of the structure of their inpatient care team. This cross-sectional study sought to (1) examine inpatients' understanding of the role of a hospitalist and (2) assess inpatients' familiarity with other medical terminology commonly used in the hospital. We surveyed 172 patients admitted to the hospital medicine service at two academic medical centers. We found that almost half (47%) of respondents were unfamiliar with the term and/or role of a hospitalist, while the remaining patients had varied understanding of the role. Several other medical terms were frequently misunderstood (such as "NPO," "PA," and "Attending"). Ongoing efforts are needed to improve communication to ensure that hospitalized patients understand the hospitalist's role and the medical terms shared with them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Curatola
- Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Nathan Juergens
- Department of Medicine, Highland Hospital, Oakland, California, USA
| | - Mariam K Atkinson
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Schnipper
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel Weiss
- Department of Medicine, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz, Aurora, Colora, USA
| | - Erin Y Cohen
- Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Clara To
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Bambury
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | - Ebrahim Barkoudah
- Division of Hospital Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sampathkumar Mani
- Sound Physicians of California, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Joseph's Medical Center, Stockton, California, USA
| | - Hassan Khalil
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rosa Mora
- School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Johsias Maru
- School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - James D Harrison
- Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Vern-Gross TZ, Laughlin BS, Kough K, Ernst B, Langley N, Rule WG, Patel SH, Ashman JB. Implementation of the REFLECT Communication Curriculum for Clinical Oncology Graduate Medical Education. J Palliat Med 2024; 27:231-235. [PMID: 38301158 PMCID: PMC10825284 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2023.0316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Communication and interpersonal skills are essential medical components of oncology patient care. Patients and families rely on physicians for treatment, expertise, guidance, hope, meaning, and compassion throughout a life-threatening illness. A provider's inability to empathize with patients is linked to physician-related fatigue and burnout. Because oncology training programs focus on teaching evidence-based medicine and clinical acumen, little time may be dedicated to professional development and acquisition of interactive skills. Traditional communication courses typically include two components: formal, knowledge-based learning skills, which are gained from didactic lectures, and role-playing, which usually occurs in small groups. We report the implementation of a novel longitudinal communication curriculum for trainees in Oncology. Materials and Methods: At a single-center institution, an innovative communication curriculum titled "REFLECT" (Respect, Empathy, Facilitate Effective Communication, Listen, Elicit Information, Compassion, and Teach Others) was implemented for radiation oncology residents and medical oncology fellows to improve and refine physician/patient interactions. All oncology specialty residents and fellows were eligible to participate in this communication curriculum. The curriculum emphasized a reflective process to guide trainees through challenging scenarios. Results: Since October 2018, this comprehensive course consisted of quarterly (four hour) workshops comprising assigned reading, knowledge assessments, didactic lectures, expert guest lecturers, standardized patient simulations, role-playing, patient/expert panels, coaching, reflective writing, and debriefing/feedback sessions. The curriculum provided longitudinal communication training integrated with the learners' daily physician/patient encounters rather than occasional isolated experiences. Fifteen workshops have been completed. Each focused on navigating challenging situations with patients, loved ones, or colleagues. Conclusions: Future directions of the curriculum will entail improving the communication skills of oncology trainees and gathering communication improvement data to assess the program's success formally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brady S. Laughlin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Katherine Kough
- Department of Humanities, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Brenda Ernst
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Natalie Langley
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - William G. Rule
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Samir H. Patel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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