Search

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of a training program designed to teach medical physicists how to communicate with patients effectively in the clinical environment., Methods and Materials: The training program was offered 3 times between 2016 and 2019. Participants were asked to rank their level of confidence in 5 categories relevant to patient communication on a 5-point Likert scale at 3 separate time points over the course of the training program. Participants were also asked to provide written responses to 5 common questions from patients at 2 separate time points, and these responses were numerically scored using the Constant Comparative Method. Competency in patient communication was assessed during simulated patient consults using a 9-element clinical competency assessment form. Changes in participants' stated level of confidence over the course of the training program and differences between faculty and residents were analyzed using the Student t test, and participants' scored responses to common questions were analyzed using analysis of variance., Results: Fifteen medical physicists participated in the training program: 6 resident physicists (4 first year and 2 second year) and 9 faculty physicists. Mean participant-stated level of confidence increased significantly across all categories (P < .05) between the first and second training intervention and between the second and third training intervention. There was no significant difference in mean participant-stated level of confidence between faculty and resident medical physicists. We observed statistically significant improvements in scored responses to common patient questions between the 2 assessment time points (P < .05). Of the 15 participants, 14 met competency assessment goals during simulated patient consults., Conclusions: The patient communication skills training program increases medical physicists' level of confidence across 5 patient communication categories and improves their responses to common questions from patients. In addition, the program can discern differences in communication competency between physicists., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate a new clinical role for medical physicists in direct patient care with a prospective phase 2 clinical trial., Materials and Methods: Medical physicists participated in the Physics Direct Patient Care (PDPC) protocol, establishing independent professional relationships with radiation oncology patients. After attending a dedicated patient communication training program, medical physicists routinely met with patients for 2 physicist-patient consults to explain the treatment planning and delivery process, review the patient's treatment plan, and answer all technical questions. The first physicist-patient consult took place immediately before the computed tomography simulation, and the second took place immediately before the first treatment. Questionnaires were administered to each patient on the PDPC protocol at 3 time points to assess both anxiety and satisfaction. The first questionnaire was given shortly after the first physicist-patient consult, the second questionnaire was given shortly after the second physicist-patient consult, and the third questionnaire was given after the last treatment appointment, with no associated physicist-patient consult., Results: The mean patient anxiety score was considered to be low at all questionnaire time points. There was a statistically significant decrease (P < .0001) in anxiety from the simulation time point to the first treatment time point. The mean patient technical satisfaction score was considered to be high at all measurement time points. There was a statistically significant increase (P = .0012) in technical satisfaction from the simulation time point to the first treatment time point. There was a statistically significant decrease (P < .023) in technical satisfaction from the first treatment time point to the last treatment time point., Conclusions: Establishing a new clinical role for medical physicists and investigating its effects on patient anxiety and satisfaction have created the foundation for future studies. Based on the results of this trial, the PDPC protocol will be expanded to a larger group of medical physicists, radiation oncologists, and patient disease sites and investigated with a randomized phase 3 clinical trial., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To develop a training program designed to meet the specific needs of medical physicists as they transition into a clinical role with direct patient care responsibilities., Materials and Methods: The training program was designed in collaboration with the faculty at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and incorporates training techniques that have been shown to be effective in improving communication skills. The program emphasizes experiential, practice-based learning over didactic presentations., Results: The training program is comprised of 5 components: 1) a 1-day Clinician-Patient Communication Workshop run by the UC San Diego School of Medicine, 2) Communication Strategies for Radiation Oncology, which consists of two, 2-hour sessions designed to provide trainees with patient communication skills that are specific to patient interactions in radiation oncology, 3) Simulated Patient Interactions, in which trainees perform mock physicist-patient consults with trained patient actors, 4) Faculty-Observed Patient Consults, and 5) a Case-Based Treatment Toxicity Course. A competency assessment mechanism was also developed to provide a clear set of objectives and to guide trainer feedback. [Correction added after first online publication on November 7, 2018: The phrase ", which consists of two, 2-hour" was added above.] CONCLUSIONS: The training program that we have developed incorporates an array of established education techniques and provides a comprehensive, accessible, means of improving medical physicists' patient communication skills., (© 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)