Interprofessional Learning to Improve Communication in Challenging Healthcare Conversations: What Clinicians Learn From Each Other.

Introduction: Although contemporary health care involves complex interactions among clinicians of varying professions, opportunities to learn together are relatively few. The authors assessed participants' views about the educational value of learning with colleagues of mixed health care professions in communication and relational skills training focused on challenging conversations.

Methods: Between 2010 and 2013, 783 participants enrolled in 46 workshops hosted by the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice at Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.

Clinicians' recognition and management of emotions during difficult healthcare conversations.

Objective: To examine the most commonly reported emotions encountered among healthcare practitioners when holding difficult conversations, including frequency and impact on care delivery.

Methods: Interprofessional learners from a range of experience levels and specialties completed self-report questionnaires prior to simulation-based communication workshops. Clinicians were asked to describe up to three emotions they experienced when having difficult healthcare conversations; subsequent questions used Likert-scales to measure frequency of each emotion, and whether care was affected.