TY - JOUR
T1 - Studying communication in oncologist-patient encounters
T2 - The SCOPE Trial
AU - Koropchak, Celine M.
AU - Pollak, Kathryn I.
AU - Arnold, Robert M.
AU - Alexander, Stewart C.
AU - Skinner, Celette Sugg
AU - Olsen, Maren K.
AU - Jeffreys, Amy S.
AU - Rodriguez, Keri L.
AU - Abernethy, Amy P.
AU - Tulsky, James A.
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Study objective: Most oncologists have not received adequate training in physician-patient communication, and existing effective courses tend to be time and resource intensive. We are developing and testing a tailored CD-ROM educational intervention that includes feedback on oncologists' own audio-recorded conversations with their advanced cancer patients. In this report, we describe the study methods and identify challenges to implementation and how these were overcome. Study design: A three-phase, randomized, controlled trial. In Phase 1, we audio-recorded oncologist-patient clinic encounters. In Phase 2, oncologists were randomly assigned to a communication CD-ROM intervention or control. Phase 3 consisted of audio-recording all participating oncologists conversing with a new sample of patients, two to 12 months after the intervention, to assess its effectiveness. Setting: Oncology clinics at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC) in Durham, NC, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants: Medical, radiation and gynecological oncologists and their patients with advanced cancer. Intervention: A tailored CD-ROM that contains an interactive educational interface with reference materials and video-clips of model conversations, along with the oncologists' own Phase I audio-recorded conversations. Conclusion: We present challenges and solutions to oncologist recruitment, identifying appropriate patients with advanced cancer, adapting to clinic flow, and developing a self-administered communications intervention.
AB - Study objective: Most oncologists have not received adequate training in physician-patient communication, and existing effective courses tend to be time and resource intensive. We are developing and testing a tailored CD-ROM educational intervention that includes feedback on oncologists' own audio-recorded conversations with their advanced cancer patients. In this report, we describe the study methods and identify challenges to implementation and how these were overcome. Study design: A three-phase, randomized, controlled trial. In Phase 1, we audio-recorded oncologist-patient clinic encounters. In Phase 2, oncologists were randomly assigned to a communication CD-ROM intervention or control. Phase 3 consisted of audio-recording all participating oncologists conversing with a new sample of patients, two to 12 months after the intervention, to assess its effectiveness. Setting: Oncology clinics at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC) in Durham, NC, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants: Medical, radiation and gynecological oncologists and their patients with advanced cancer. Intervention: A tailored CD-ROM that contains an interactive educational interface with reference materials and video-clips of model conversations, along with the oncologists' own Phase I audio-recorded conversations. Conclusion: We present challenges and solutions to oncologist recruitment, identifying appropriate patients with advanced cancer, adapting to clinic flow, and developing a self-administered communications intervention.
KW - Oncologist
KW - Patient-provider relationship
KW - Physician-patient communication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33846030173&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33846030173&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0269216306070657
DO - 10.1177/0269216306070657
M3 - Article
C2 - 17148536
AN - SCOPUS:33846030173
SN - 0269-2163
VL - 20
SP - 813
EP - 819
JO - Palliative Medicine
JF - Palliative Medicine
IS - 8
ER -