Bringing competency-based communication training to scale: A multi-institutional virtual simulation-based mastery learning curriculum for Emergency Medicine residents.

Medical education; Academic medical centers; Research funding; Course evaluation (Education); Role playing; Emergency medicine; Catastrophic illness; Descriptive statistics; Hospital medical staff; Simulation methods in education; Pre-tests & post-tests; Online education; Adult education workshops; Outcome-based education; Communication education; Disclosure

Purpose: Serious illness communication skills are essential for physicians, yet competency-based training is lacking. We address scalability barriers to competency-based communication skills training by assessing the feasibility of a multi-center, virtual simulation-based mastery learning (vSBML) curriculum on breaking bad news (BBN). Methods: First-year emergency medicine residents at three academic medical centers participated in the virtual curriculum. Participants completed a pretest with a standardized patient (SP), a workshop with didactics and small group roleplay with SPs, a posttest with an SP, and additional deliberate practice sessions if needed to achieve the minimum passing standard (MPS). Participants were assessed using a previously published BBN assessment tool that included a checklist and scaled items. Authors compared pre- and posttests to evaluate the impact of the curriculum. Results: Twenty-eight (90%) of 31 eligible residents completed the curriculum. Eighty-nine percent of participants did not meet the MPS at pretest. Post-intervention, there was a statistically significant improvement in checklist performance (Median= 93% vs. 53%, p < 0.001) and on all scaled items assessing quality of communication. All participants ultimately achieved the MPS. Conclusions: A multi-site vSBML curriculum brought all participants to mastery in the core communication skill of BBN and represents a feasible, scalable model to incorporate competency-based communication skills education in a widespread manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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