• Juliet Jacobsen, Sandra N Whitlock, Hang Lee, Charlotta Lindvall, and Vicki Jackson.
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: jjacobsen@partners.org.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2015 May 1; 49 (5): 960-3.

BackgroundMany physicians have difficulty with discussions about prognosis. The aims of this study were to evaluate why physicians struggle to discuss prognosis and to measure the effect of a 90-minute communication workshop on self-reported skill.MeasuresAn evaluation study was used with three measurement points: before the 90-minute communication workshop (e-mail survey); immediately after the workshop (paper survey); and one month after the workshop (e-mail survey).InterventionPhysicians from diverse specialties at a single academic institution were paid to participate in a 90-minute communication workshop on discussing prognosis.OutcomesPhysicians identified several reasons why discussions of prognosis are hard: "I am not sure of the actual prognosis" (58.9%; 95% CI, 50.9, 66.5), "I worry I will take away hope (42.9%; 95% CI, 35.2, 50.9), and "I worry the patient is not ready to hear the information" (42.9%; 95% CI, 35.2, 50.9). Physicians who attended this short workshop reported that they could apply what was learned to their work immediately (4.6, range 1-5). One month after the workshop, 91% of respondents reported trying a skill learned in the workshop. The most frequently used skill was Ask/Tell/Ask (61.5%; 95% CI, 51.6, 70.6).Conclusions/Lessons LearnedA short workshop on discussing prognosis was highly valued by physicians from diverse specialties and a majority reported using at least one of the communication skills learned.Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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