Complex Communication in Healthcare

Communication skills are uniquely relevant in the general practice setting, because no other medical practitioner offers the continuity of care that GPs afford their patients. This workshop, conducted by the multiple award-winning Pam McLean Centre, will address some of the most challenging communications in the context of the long-term doctor-patient relationship – breaking bad news, open disclosure following an adverse event, and initiating discussions about treatment options at the end of life. The common theme is talking about things patients don’t want to talk about.

Models abound – SPIKES, ABCDE, BREAKS, ISBAR etc. And models have their place. But putting the models into practice can sometimes be surprisingly hard. This workshop allows us to put theory into practice through trial-and-error, working with a highly trained professional actor to negotiate step-by-step through a maze of emotionally-charged communication. Just like learning to intubate on mannequins, working with actors allows us to try various approaches to communication safe in the knowledge that no-one gets hurt. The workshop is based on rigorous research, including one of Professor Dunn’s PhD student’s projects, which measured heart rate and skin conductance in doctors whilst they told a woman that her husband had just died. The results will surprise you.