• Garrett T Wasp, Satveer Kaur-Gill, Eric C Anderson, Maxwell T Vergo, Julia Chelen, Tor Tosteson, Paul J Barr, and Amber E Barnato.
• Section of Oncology, Department of Medicine (G.T.W.), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA; Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) (G.T.W., T.T., A.E.B.), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA; The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice (G.T.W., S.K.G., J.C., P.J.B., A.E.B.), Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. Electronic address: Garrett.T.Wasp@hitchcock.org.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023 Oct 1; 66 (4): 351360.e1351-360.e1.

ContextEmotion regulation by the physician can influence the effectiveness of serious illness conversations. The feasibility of multimodal assessment of emotion regulation during these conversations is unknown.ObjectivesTo develop and assess an experimental framework for evaluating physician emotion regulation during serious illness conversations.MethodsWe developed and then assessed a multimodal assessment framework for physician emotion regulation using a cross-sectional, pilot study on physicians trained in the Serious Illness Conversation Guide (SICG) in a simulated, telehealth encounter. Development of the assessment framework included a literature review and subject matter expert consultations. Our predefined feasibility endpoints included: an enrollment rate of ≥60% of approached physicians, >90% completion rate of survey items, and <20% missing data from wearable heart rate sensors. To describe physician emotion regulation, we performed a thematic analysis of the conversation, its documentation, and physician interviews.ResultsOut of 12 physicians approached, 11 (92%) SICG-trained physicians enrolled in the study: five medical oncology and six palliative care physicians. All 11 completed the survey (100% completion rate). Two sensors (chest band, wrist sensor) had <20% missing data during study tasks. The forearm sensor had >20% missing data. The thematic analysis found that physicians': 1) overarching goal was to move beyond prognosis to reasonable hope; 2) tactically focused on establishing a trusting, supportive relationship; and 3) possessed incomplete awareness of their emotion regulation strategies.ConclusionOur novel, multimodal assessment of physician emotion regulation was feasible in a simulated SICG encounter. Physicians exhibited an incomplete understanding of their emotion regulation strategies.Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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