Course Director: Elizabeth A. Rider, MSW, MD Difficult Conversations in Healthcare: Pedagogy and Practice is a 1‑day faculty development course that offers the opportunity to learn about innovative philosophies and pedagogical approaches for teaching and enhancing relational capacities and communication skills in physicians, social workers, nurses, and other health care professionals who work in a variety of academic and clinical healthcare settings.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Evidence-based studies show that effective communication with patients is associated with improved healthcare outcomes, better quality of care, both patient and physician satisfaction, and reduced medical error and malpractice claims. Interpersonal and communication problems in healthcare are common, and the over 70% of malpractice depositions arise from communication errors.

Studies also show that clinicians feel unprepared and lack confidence in communication skills, particularly advanced skills such as the ability to discuss end-of-life issues, giving bad news, dealing with the 'difficult' patient, and understanding the patients' and family's perspectives.

Medical schools, academic medical centers and other institutions are working to develop educational leaders and faculty who can teach and assess the core ACGME competencies, including interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism, that this faculty development course addresses.

The course is designed for physicians in all specialties, medical education leaders, and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals interested and/or involved in teaching in the areas of interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, relationship-centered care, patient-practitioner relationships and related topics.

Course participants will learn about an innovative, collaborative relational learning model, known as the Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS), which was developed by the Institute for Professionalism & Ethical Practice (IPEP) at Children's Hospital Boston, for teaching and enhancing communication skills and relational capacities. We will create a safe environment for relational learning, use realistic enactments with professional actors, and integrate patient and family perspectives in innovative ways.

Participants will experience and learn about a variety of educational strategies and pedagogy including:

• The PERCS model of realistic enactments with professional actors, collaborative learning, and reflection and feedback.
• Use of narratives
• Videotape and discussion
• Interactive didactic presentation
• Appreciative inquiry
• Small group team-based learning
• Large group discussion
• Facilitated reflections

We will pause at several junctures, ask participants to step back from the learning process, and reflect together on our experience as learners and as medical educators. We will discuss the central pedagogic principles, outline their ethical and conceptual rationale, and consider how participants might usefully integrate the pedagogy (i.e., the method and practice of teaching) into educational endeavors in their home institutions.

This course provides teaching and learning strategies for the interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism competencies required by many regulatory organizations including the ACGME and LCME (USA), CACMS, RCPSC, CanMEDS (Canada), General Medical Council (UK), Institute for International Medical Education, and others.

This course is also offered as a pre‑course for The Harvard Macy Institute’s Program for Educators in Health Professions and the Program for Leading Innovations in Health Care & Education.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The course is a faculty development course designed for physicians, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals (social workers, psychologists, nurses, others) and institutional and medical education leaders interested and/or involved in teaching in the areas of interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, relationship-centered care, patient-practitioner relationships and related topics.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the philosophy and components of relational learning as practiced in the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice's (IPEP) Program to Enhance Communication and Relational Skills (PERCS)
• Experience and learn about a range of teaching and facilitation skills appropriate to teaching about communication and relationships in healthcare
• Develop strategies to promote and implement relationship-centered teaching and learning within one's home institution

Program changes/substitutions may be made without notice.

Last update 12.06.11

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ACCREDITATION

Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Social Workers: This program has been approved for 6.5 Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR 31.00. Collaborative of NASW-MA and the Boston College and Simmons College Schools of Social Work.

Nurses: Nursing Staff Development of Children's Hospital Boston #PA93 is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. 6.4 contact hours have been accepted for this course as it meets the definition of continuing nursing education and meets the criteria set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Psychologists: The Division of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Division of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 6 continuing education credits.

ACGME COMPETENCIES

This course is designed to meet one or more of the following Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education competencies:

• Patient care
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Professionalism

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REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Physicians $495 (USD)
All other health professionals and nonphysician medical educators $435 (USD)

Registration by credit card (VISA or MasterCard) can be made at above links. Registration by check (draft on a United States bank), please make payable to Harvard Medical School and mail with registration form to Harvard Medical School-Department of Continuing Education, PO Box 825, Boston, MA 02117-0825. Telephone or fax registration is not accepted. Registration with cash payment is not permitted. Upon receipt of your paid registration an email confirmation from the HMS-DCE office will be sent to you. Be sure to include an email address that you check frequently. Your email address is used for critical information including: registration confirmation, evaluation and certificate.

INQUIRIES

ONLINE INFORMATION

To ensure proper registration, please add the first three characters of the source code found at the bottom of this registration form.

DISCLOSURE POLICY

Harvard Medical School (HMS) adheres to all ACCME Essential Areas, Standards, and Policies. It is HMS's policy that those who have influenced the content of a CME activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities so that HMS may identify and resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. These disclosures will be provided in the activity materials along with disclosure of any commercial support received for the activity. Additionally, faculty members have been instructed to disclose any limitations of data and unlabeled or investigational uses of products during their presentations.

REFUND POLICY

A handling fee of $60 is deducted for cancellation. Refund requests must be received by postal mail, email or fax one week prior to this activity. No refunds will be made thereafter.

COURSE LOCATION

All sessions for this activity will be held in the Conference Center at Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham, 9 Hope Avenue, Waltham, MA 02453.

ACCOMMODATIONS /TRAVEL

Please do not purchase non-refundable airline ticket(s) until you have received an email from our office confirming your paid registration. For airline reservations contact the HMS Travel Desk toll free 1-877-4-HARVMD (1-877-442-7863) Monday - Friday 9 AM - 8 PM (EST). From outside the U.S., Canada and Virgin Islands, please call 617-559-3764.

FOR INQUIRIES ABOUT THE COURSE ITSELF

Please contact ontact Allyson McCrary, Course Coordinator, by e-mail: allyson.mccrary@ childrens.harvard.edu or phone: (617) 355-5021.

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FACULTY

DAVID BROWNING, MSW, BCD, FT Senior Scholar and Co-Director of Patient Safety and Quality Initiatives, Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Children's Hospital Boston, Lecturer on Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School	MEG COMEAU, MHA Family Faculty, Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Children's Hospital Boston, Project Director, the Catalyst Center: Improving Financing of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Boston University School of Public Health
ELAINE MEYER, PhD, RN Director, Institute for Professionalism & Ethical Practice, Children's Hospital Boston, Director, Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS), Children's Hospital Boston, Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School	ELIZABETH RIDER, MSW, MD (Course Director) Director of Academic Programs, Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Children’s Hospital Boston, Director of Programs for Communication Skills, John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Co‑Chair, Medicine Academy, National Academies of Practice, Co‑Author, A Practical Guide to Teaching and Assessing the ACGME Core Competencies
ROBERT TRUOG, MD Professor of Medical Ethics & Anesthesia (Pediatrics), Harvard Medical School, Executive Director, Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Children's Hospital Boston, Director of Clinical Ethics, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Chair, Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee, Harvard University, Senior Associate in Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston	PAMELA VARRIN, PhD Family Faculty, Institute for Professionalism & Ethical Practice, Children's Hospital Boston, Coordinator of Family Support Services, Cotting School

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