Communication Coaching to Improve Patient and Clinician Satisfaction in Cardiology Encounters

Duke University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Improved Communication Between Clinician and Patient

Treatments: Behavioral: Communication Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03464110

Pro00091691

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a clinician communication coaching intervention versus control on an objective measure of the quality of communication (primary outcome) and patients' perceptions of the quality of patient-centered care (secondary outcome), both overall and within Black and White patients.

Full description

The investigators propose a two-arm cluster randomized controlled design, in which the unit of randomization is the clinician. Up to fifty cardiology clinicians will be randomly assigned to either the coaching intervention or to a control condition. The investigators will recruit up to 50 clinicians to ensure that we have at least 40 clinicians with complete pre- and post-intervention measures. Although the unit of randomization is the clinician, the unit of evaluation is the patient: 10 patients per clinician who get cardiology care from the enrolled clinicians will consent to audio-recording of their encounters and to completing the surveys. Clinicians randomized to the intervention will obtain verbal consent from additional patients to audio-record the encounter for coaching. The intervention will be delivered in the clinic or via video-conference (Skype or Facetime), providing individual coaching and professional feedback on the communication behaviors encounters. The investigators will also measure Press Ganey scores by clinician pre- and post-intervention.

Enrollment: 280 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients must be 18 years or older
• Must be able to read
• Must speak English
• Capable of providing informed consent
• Must be receiving continuity care from and enrolled clinician

Exclusion criteria

• Currently hospitalized
• Awaiting heart transplant

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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280 participants in 2 patient groups

Standard of Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Investigator will compare patients randomized into the intervention group to those who receive standard of care.

Communication Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention will contain elements of Motivational Interviewing coaching but also will teach providers how to address patient emotion and increase the efficiency of their visits. Clinicians randomized to the intervention will receive a tailored communication coaching intervention that includes didactic elements, audio recording encounters and providing feedback, and role-playing.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Communication Intervention