• Laura P Gelfman, Elizabeth Lindenberger, Helen Fernandez, Gabrielle R Goldberg, Betty B Lim, Evgenia Litrivis, Lynn O'Neill, Cardinale B Smith, and Amy S Kelley.
• Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA; Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA. Electronic address: Laura.Gelfman@mssm.edu.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2014 Oct 1; 48 (4): 738-44.e1-6.

BackgroundCommunication skills are critical in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine because these patients confront complex clinical scenarios. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course by comparing pre- and post-course real-time assessment of the participants leading family meetings. We also evaluated the participants' sustained skills practice.MeasuresWe compare the participants' skill acquisition before and after Geritalk using a direct observation Family Meeting Communication Assessment Tool and assess their deliberate practice at follow-up.InterventionFirst-year Geriatrics or Palliative Medicine fellows at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the James J. Peters Bronx VA Medical Center participated in Geritalk.OutcomesPre- and post-course family meeting assessments were compared. An average net gain of 6.8 skills represented a greater than 20% improvement in use of applicable skills. At two month follow-up, most participants reported deliberate practice of fundamental and advanced skills.Conclusions/Lessons LearnedThis intensive training and family meeting assessment offers evidence-based communication skills training.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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