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The Patient Communication Education Series
Course Overview
The Astute Doctor COMMUNICATE Program is a suite of 8 CME-accredited online courses that improve physician-patient interpersonal communication and enrich the patient experience. The program addresses many of the quality measures evaluated in CAHPS surveys with evidence-based techniques to deliver empathic, patient-centered care.
Delivered in an engaging audiovisual experience, Astute Doctor courses expedite learning through narrated animations, case studies, and interactive diagrams. Our courses help physicians make the most of every patient encounter by enhancing their ability to show courtesy and respect, to listen attentively, and explain things clearly to patients.
Needs Assessment
The benefits of good communication between physician and patient have been demonstrated in many studies, but unfortunately, communication problems in medical practice are still quite common.
Research indicates that in about 50% of all encounters, the patient and the physician do not share a mutual understanding of the primary concern leading to unresolved medical complaints. Recent data-identifying issues in physician-patient encounters have shown that patients often do not understand or retain what their physician has said:
18% – 45%
OF PATIENTS ARE UNABLE TO RECALL MAJOR RISKS OF TREATMENT
44%
OF PATIENTS DO NOT KNOW THE NATURE OF THEIR OPERATION
60% – 68%
OF PATIENTS DO NOT READ OR UNDERSTAND INFORMATION IN A CONSENT FORM
80%
OF WHAT PHYSICIANS TELL PATIENTS IS FORGOTTEN AS SOON AS PATIENTS LEAVE THE OFFICE
90%
OF WHAT IS RECALLED BY PATIENTS IS INCORRECT
Furthermore, it has been found that physicians interrupt their patients an average of 18 seconds from the start of the conversation, and once interrupted, patients rarely continue to express their true concerns.
It is important to address poor listening skills and interrupting during the patient dialogue. Asking patients why they have come to see you, and eliciting patients’ feelings, ideas, and expectations about an illness may seem like a logical approach, but this takes place in less than half of all medical encounters. Adopting a patient-centered approach to communication is proven to improve care quality, patient experience, and health outcomes.
PHYSICIAN PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
IMPROVE PATIENT EXPERIENCE SCORES
MAXIMIZE VALUE-BASED REIMBURSEMENT
IMPROVE HOSPITAL RATINGS
Course Overview
Build Strong Patient Relationships
Build strong rapport with patients quickly, gain your patient’s respect, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to facilitate an open, productive dialogue and achieve breakthroughs in patient understanding and acceptance.
Eliciting Patient Concerns
Encourage early disclosure of patient concerns, optimize encounter time management, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to prioritize patient concerns, build patient trust, identify opportunities for empathy, and respond to patient feelings using empathy.
Patient-Centered Information Gathering
Uncover deep insights about the nature of patient symptoms, achieve earlier and more accurate diagnoses, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to facilitate patient-centered encounters, gather critical information, increase patient understanding, and attain greater medication adherence.
Maximizing Patient Understanding And Recall
Make your treatment instructions more memorable, deliver explanations that patients understand, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to build patient understanding, improve medication adherence, and facilitate patient recall at the right time.
Motivating Patients
Overcome patient ambivalence, discuss the issue of change with patients, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to identify when a patient is ready for change, uncover personal drivers for lifestyle changes, gain patient commitment, and improve treatment adherence.
Setting Mutually-Agreed Goals
Understand patient health goals, engage patients in decision making, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to agree with patients on mutual goals, overcome barriers to goal achievement, and negotiate with patients to find common ground.
Managing Difficult Patients
Transform a difficult interaction into a productive dialogue, understand psychological drivers of difficult behaviors, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to strategically manage difficult encounters, avoid responses that worsen difficult interactions, and overcome difficult behaviors.
Cross-Cultural Communication
Develop cultural competence, bridge cultural gaps, understand common culture-specific medical practices, and improve patient experience. This interactive online course shows how to avoid communication traps and cultural gaffes, build strong patient partnerships despite cultural differences, and manage language barriers.
Learning Objectives
By participating in this series, participants will:
Apply evidence-based, patient-centered, and empathic interpersonal techniques to improve doctor and patient satisfaction.
Apply evidence-based, patient-centered, and empathic interpersonal techniques to improve patient care.
Apply evidence-based, patient-centered, and empathic interpersonal techniques to reduce malpractice litigation risk.
Apply evidence-based, patient-centered, and empathic interpersonal techniques to connect effectively with patients.
Enrollment
You can enroll in the course series through the MedTrainer portal by contacting your organization’s account administrator or designee.
Call your Account Manager to benefit from this additional feature in your MedTrainer Learning Library. Once your registration is complete, log in and your course will be listed on the “My Student Dashboard” page. If you cannot remember your account information, click the “Get Username and Password” link on the login page and it will be emailed to you.
Target Audience
Physicians working in ambulatory or hospital settings.
This program is particularly useful for physicians who develop long-term relationships with patients and manage chronic conditions; for example, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, oncology, rheumatology etc. The program is also highly relevant to other health professionals such as Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Nurses.
Course Requirement
Complete The Course Work
Score At Least 70% On The Post test
Fill Out The CME Evaluation
Additional Course Information
About This Course
11.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) TM : Estimated time to complete this activity: 11.50 hours
Current Approval Period : January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2020
Author(s) : Grant Simic, BMedSci Susan Larsen, BA DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: All author(s), contributor(s), editor(s), and CME Office Reviewer(s) state that they do not have any financial arrangements with commercial interests that could constitute a conflict of interest.
CME Sponsor : University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Learning Format : Interactive online course with audio narration. Includes case studies and mandatory assessment questions (number of questions varies by course or module). Please also read our Technical Requirements .
Original Release Date : January 1, 2011
Most Recent Review by Author : January 1, 2019
Most Recent Review by CME Sponsor : January 1, 2019
Financial Support Received : None
ACCME/AMA PRA Accreditation and CME Designation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint provider-ship of The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and Astute Doctor Education, Inc. The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson designates this enduring material for a maximum of 11.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
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