A Brief Communication Intervention and Its Effects on Internal Medicine Residents’ Distress During an ICU Rotation (SCI936)

Objectives 1. Describe the components of a brief communication workshop for residents prior to their ICU rotation. 2. Discuss the effectiveness of a 3-hour communication workshop for medical residents prior to their ICU rotation. Background Moral distress in internal medicine residents has been shown to be highest in ICU rotations, during which residents are expected to deliver bad news and respond to emotion. Previous studies show communication skills training workshops help develop these skills. Research Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived value of a brief pre-rotation communication workshop and its impact on medical residents' moral distress during their ICU rotation. Methods This was a cluster cohort trial of medical residents on an ICU rotation. Residents in the intervention group attended a 3-hour communication workshop and the control group did not. All participants completed pre (T1) and post (T2) rotation surveys which included a communication self-assessment, the Measure of the Moral Distress for Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The intervention group completed a post-intervention survey which assessed the session's effectiveness and a communication self-assessment. Results 26 medical residents completed the study (19 control, 7 intervention). The differences between T1 and T2 for the control vs the intervention group was 2.7 vs 3.3 for the mean MBI emotional exhaustion, 0.8 vs 1.7 for the mean MBI depersonalization, and 121 vs 149 for mean MMD-HP composite score. Following the workshop, participants reported improvement in preparedness to giving bad news (M=3.86 vs 4.29), expressing empathy (M=4 vs 4.42), and conducting a family meeting (M=3.14 vs 4.14) on a 0-5 Likart scale. 100% of the intervention participants indicated the workshop was relevant to their medical training and it was important towards developing their clinical skills. Conclusion It was feasible to create a shortened communication workshop that improved residents' comfort with communication-based skills and thought it to be relevant for their training. Due to the small sample size, it is unclear if the workshop had an impact on moral distress and burn out.