Communication Skills Training for Internal Medicine Residents Using a Brief Animated Video

Patient communication courses are time-intensive, making incorporation into residency curricula challenging. Using a short video could be an efficient means to teach residents communication skills. We created a 4-min animated video focused on the “ask more and summarize technique”. Residents rotating on the inpatient oncology and palliative care service received a video link with a survey (S1) on the tool and its projected utility. A second survey (S2) was sent upon rotation completion to assess the utility of the technique. A 6-month follow up e-mail was sent to determine retention of skills. A total of 52/106 residents responded to S1 and 32/52 to S2. Median age was 28 years and 86% were PGY-1. On S1, 95% enjoyed the format, and 95% thought the narration was an effective learning tool and 90% that the animation was effective. A majority (87%) felt the tool would be useful. On comparing self-reported acquisition of skills for paired survey responses, there was a significant increase in asking more regarding patient questions (p = 0.04) but not summarizing back responses (p = 0.1). This tool was reported to be useful in a variety of settings including explaining prognoses, unrealistic patient expectations, upset patients, and patients with fear or anxiety. A 6-month follow up survey (n = 22) showed that almost all the respondents continued to report using the skills learned. A short video is a brief and effective tool that can be incorporated into a busy clinical curriculum to teach residents communication skills in the areas of cancer and palliative care.