O.O.8.6 - (WIP) Developing an empathy-informed Communications Toolkit for primary healthcare practitioners: Presenter(s): Maeve O'Brien, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Ireland.

Relevance and importance for healthcare communication research: Obesity is rapidly rising complex public health issue affecting over 20% of children and adolescents. Stigma and anti-weight bias are frequently reported by people living with obesity and engaging with healthcare. Good communication skills between PHPs and patients form the foundation of quality medical care. It is imperative that where possible we encourage positive empowering communication for children and adolescents living with obesity to reduce unintended harm. Our work aims to co-create communication learning tools for primary health care professionals (PHPs) grounded in an empathy-based theoretical framework which prioritises the experiences of children and adolescents who live with obesity - and their carers. Innovative in healthcare communication research, teaching or policy/practice: Co-creation of learning materials by collaborating with patients and caregivers allows educators to develop an in-depth understanding of the patient experience. The empathy-based approach uses patients' values, preferences, and needs to incorporate patient lived experience into scenarios and role play that facilitates experiential learning opportunities for PHPs. The aim of this project is to create training tools for PHPs that will enhance patient-PHP communication and contribute to more meaningful interactions and obesity de-stigmatisation. Additionally, this research may offer a template for training that could be used in other stigmatised health areas. We are collaborating with constituents who have lived experience of paediatric obesity and healthcare to generate role play videos and interactive pathways that show a spectrum of communication interactions ranging from positive to negative. Learners will be evaluated through self-reflection as well as curated assessment criteria. It is expected that PHPs will gain a greater awareness of the immediate and long-term effects of a negative healthcare communication experience and PHPs will also gain the tools to change their practice and enhance the patient experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]