Integrating medical and practical skills in communication skills training: Do students feel it supports them with transfer from classroom to practice?

Objective: To describe innovations in a clinical communication skills training (CCST) program, aimed at facilitating transfer of communication skills from classroom to clinical practice and report student's evaluations regarding this program.

Methods: To facilitate transfer, we integrated CCS with medical and practical skills, and we developed simulation sessions closely resembling clinical practice in case-history's, length of consultation, and patient-population. Feedback was given on communication skills and medical knowledge and skills.

Co-creation and collaboration: A promising approach towards successful implementation. Experience from an integrated communication and mental health skills training programme for Japanese General Practice.

Introduction: This paper describes the co-creation and delivery of an integrated training programme in communication and depression assessment & management for Japanese GPs.

Methods: Experts in communication and depression from EACH and WONCA developed a framework and filled it with content. Through iterative discussions with the Japanese participants and experts during delivery, the training was further adjusted to match local needs.

Involving migrants in the adaptation of primary care services in a 'newly' diverse urban area in Ireland: The tension between agency and structure.

In line with World Health Organization policy (WHO, 2016; 2019), primary care services need to be adapted to effectively meet the needs of diverse patient populations. Drawing from a European participatory implementation study, we present an Irish case study. In a hybrid participatory space, migrants, general practice staff and service planners (n = 11) engaged in a project to implement the use of trained interpreters in primary care over 17 months.

The impact of early breaking bad news education: a qualitative study into students' self-reported take-home messages.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. : This study investigated the self-reported take-home messages of medical students after an early training module in breaking bad news (BBN).

Developing the International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) to address current challenges of health communication.

In 2017, EACH celebrated its change of name from European Association for Communication in Healthcare to EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare. This paper aims to present the developments and achievements of EACH over the past five years with a focus on its mission in promoting and advancing the field of communication in healthcare. Specifically, the paper focuses on how EACH, first, promotes research in the field of health communication, second, provides support, resources and sharing for healthcare communication teachers and, third, aims at influencing policy through dissemination of evidence.

Training Undergraduates Skills in Breaking Bad News: How Students Value Educators' Feedback.

Feedback is a key factor in acquiring breaking bad news (BBN) communication skills and its' acceptance depends on the perceived credibility of the provider. Our aim was to investigate students' opinions on the provided feedback by different educators (surgeons, psychologists, and simulated patient (SP)) during BBN skills training. We developed a questionnaire investigating provided feedback by the surgeon, psychologist, and SP (yes or no statements), regarding (1) perceived safety of the atmosphere, (2) perceived positive feedback, (3) perceived specific feedback, and (4) perceived usefulness for improvement during BBN skills training.

Material practices for meaningful engagement: An analysis of participatory learning and action research techniques for data generation and analysis in a health research partnership.

Background: The material practices which researchers use in research partnerships may enable or constrain the nature of engagement with stakeholder groups. Participatory learning and action (PLA) research approaches show promise, but there has been no detailed analysis of stakeholders' and researchers' experiences of PLA techniques for data generation and co-analysis.

Objectives: To explore stakeholders' and researchers' experiences of PLA techniques for data generation and co-analysis.

Supporting the use of theory in cross-country health services research: a participatory qualitative approach using Normalisation Process Theory as an example.

Objectives: To describe and reflect on the process of designing and delivering a training programme supporting the use of theory, in this case Normalisation Process Theory (NPT), in a multisite cross-country health services research study.

Design: Participatory research approach using qualitative methods.

Setting: Six European primary care settings involving research teams from Austria, England, Greece, Ireland, The Netherlands and Scotland.

Assessing patient-centred communication in teaching: a systematic review of instruments.

Context: Patient-centred communication is a key component of patient centredness in medical care. Therefore, adequate education in and assessment of patient-centred communication skills are necessary. In general, feedback on communication skills is most effective when it is provided directly and is systematic.

Cross cultural training in primary mental health care consultations in Moldova - The tEACH perspective.

Objective: This article reports experiences and challenges encountered in a cross-cultural training project in Moldova that was undertaken by tEACH, the teaching subcommittee of EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare, in cooperation with local and international stakeholders. As part of a major health policy reform, the aim was to equip a group of trainers with the skills to train Moldovan professionals in skills for primary mental health care, including communication skills.

Methods: The project consisted of 3 weeks of training using mainly experiential teaching methods to allow participants to practice content and methods, including interactive lecturing, roleplay, feedback and video.

Exploring barriers to primary care for migrants in Greece in times of austerity: Perspectives of service providers.

Background: Migration in Europe is increasing at an unprecedented rate. There is an urgent need to develop 'migrant-sensitive healthcare systems'. However, there are many barriers to healthcare for migrants.

Is linking research, teaching and practice in communication in health care the way forward?

This paper is based on the keynote lecture given at the ICCH conference in New Orleans in October 2015. With as background the observation that even though research and teaching of communication have been receiving attention for some time now, patients still encounter many problems when they visit clinicians because of health problems, it subsequently touches upon research on integration of communication with correct medical content, person centered communication and the role of placebo on outcomes. For teaching it emphasizes methods working best to teach clinical communication skills and lead to behavior changes in professionals: experiential teaching methods but taking care of a balance with cognitive methods.

An Integrated Process and Outcome Evaluation of a Web-Based Communication Tool for Patients With Malignant Lymphoma: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The complex nature of the medical dialogue and the often emotional context in cancer care present challenges to health care professionals (HCPs) and patients. Patients are increasingly expected to be informed participants and to be able to make conscious decisions, which they often find very difficult. In an attempt to support patients with malignant lymphoma in clinical communication, we developed a stand-alone, Web-based intervention called "PatientTIME.

Engaging migrants and other stakeholders to improve communication in cross-cultural consultation in primary care: a theoretically informed participatory study.

Objectives: Guidelines and training initiatives (G/TIs) are available to support communication in cross-cultural consultations but are rarely implemented in routine practice in primary care. As part of the European Union RESTORE project, our objective was to explore whether the available G/TIs make sense to migrants and other key stakeholders and whether they could collectively choose G/TIs and engage in their implementation in primary care settings.

Setting: As part of a comparative analysis of 5 linked qualitative case studies, we used purposeful and snowball sampling to recruit migrants and other key stakeholders in primary care settings in Austria, England, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Communication during haematological consultations; patients' preferences and professionals' performances.

Many patients with haematological malignancies experience barriers in clinical communication. Reaching effective communication is of great importance as it has been linked to a range of improved patient outcomes such as satisfaction, compliance to treatment, perceived quality of life and physical and mental health. To get a better understanding how communication in haematological consultations can be improved, the current study focussed on patients' preferences and perceived performances regarding the communicative behaviour of their health care professional.

Reducing the health care burden for marginalised migrants: The potential role for primary care in Europe.

There is a growing interest in the health of migrants worldwide. Migrants, particularly those in marginalised situations, face significant barriers and inequities in entitlement and access to high quality health care. This study aimed to explore the potential role of primary care in mitigating such barriers and identify ways in which health care policies and systems can influence the ability of primary care to meet the needs of vulnerable and marginalised migrants.

Reporting mental health problems of undocumented migrants in Greece: A qualitative exploration.

Background: Mental health problems are highly prevalent amongst undocumented migrants (UMs), and often part of their consultations with general practitioners (GPs). Little empirical data are available of how GPs and UMs engage around mental health in Greece, a country with a lack of balance between primary and secondary care and limited healthcare provisions for UMs.

Objectives: To acquire insight in the barriers and levers in the provision of mental healthcare for UMs by GPs in Greece.

Using Participatory Learning & Action research to access and engage with 'hard to reach' migrants in primary healthcare research.

Background: Communication problems occur in general practice consultations when migrants and general practitioners do not share a common language and culture. Migrants' perspectives have rarely been included in the development of guidelines designed to ameliorate this. Considered 'hard-to-reach' on the basis of inaccessibility, language discordance and cultural difference, migrants have been consistently excluded from participation in primary healthcare research.

Involving migrants in the development of guidelines for communication in cross-cultural general practice consultations: a participatory learning and action research project.

Objective: The aim of this research was to involve migrants and other key stakeholders in a participatory dialogue to develop a guideline for enhancing communication in cross-cultural general practice consultations. In this paper, we focus on findings about the use of formal versus informal interpreters because dialogues about these issues emerged as central to the identification of recommendations for best practice.

Design: This qualitative case study involved a Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) research methodology.

Mental health problems of undocumented migrants in the Netherlands: A qualitative exploration of recognition, recording, and treatment by general practitioners.

Objective: To explore the views and experiences of general practitioners (GPs) in relation to recognition, recording, and treatment of mental health problems of undocumented migrants (UMs), and to gain insight in the reasons for under-registration of mental health problems in the electronic medical records.

Design: Qualitative study design with semi-structured interviews using a topic guide.

Subjects And Setting: Sixteen GPs in the Netherlands with clinical expertise in the care of UMs.

Guidelines and training initiatives that support communication in cross-cultural primary-care settings: appraising their implementability using Normalization Process Theory.

Background: Guidelines and training initiatives (G/TIs) available to support communication in cross-cultural primary health care consultations are not routinely used. We need to understand more about levers and barriers to their implementation and identify G/TIs likely to be successfully implemented in practice.

Objective: To report a mapping process used to identify G/TIs and to prospectively appraise their implementability, using Normalization Process Theory (NPT).

Mental health problems of undocumented migrants (UMs) in The Netherlands: a qualitative exploration of help-seeking behaviour and experiences with primary care.

Objective: To explore health-seeking behaviour and experiences of undocumented migrants (UMs) in general practice in relation to mental health problems.

Design: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews and thematic analysis.

Participants: 15 UMs in The Netherlands, varying in age, gender, country of origin and education; inclusion until theoretical saturation was reached.