Improving communication skills in caregivers: an adaptation and pilot test of a brief training module for caregivers of people with cancer in Australia.

Purpose: Informal caregivers play a pivotal role in providing support to cancer survivors, yet have reported challenges with communicating with health providers to get all the information they need to provide optimal care. We aimed to adapt and pilot test a brief communication skills training program (COMFORT) to improve caregiver-provider communication in an Australian cancer setting.

Methods: Module adaptation was guided by the cultural adaptation model.

The COMFORT Model: Moving the Initiative Outside of the Academy.

Reflexive and prospective in nature, the creators of the COMFORT model describe experiences of moving this research outside of the academy. The COMFORT model represents the seven basic principles of healthcare provider communication: - Connect, - Options, - Making Meaning, - Family Caregivers, - Openings, - Relating, - Team. The COMFORT initiative began as a call for change in healthcare communication education.

A conceptual model of the nurse's role as primary palliative care provider in goals of care communication.

Objective: Nurses have opportunities to engage in goals of care conversations that can promote palliative care communication. The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' experiences in goals of care communication as summarized in the literature and to present a conceptual model of communication pathways for nurses.

Methods: An integrative review of the literature (2016-2022) addressing nurses' experiences in goals of care communication was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo databases.

Validating the Communicating Care Needs Tool for HIV (CCNT-HIV).

Health literacy has been identified as an influential factor affecting the HIV care continuum and HIV epidemic, but recent systematic reviews found mixed relationships between health literacy and HIV medication adherence. This may be partially due to discrepancies between health literacy conceptualizations, health literacy measures, and the lifeworld, day-to-day challenges that persons with HIV (PWH) face as they seek and receive care. To address these challenges, a new health literacy tool, Communicating Care Needs Tool for HIV (CCNT-HIV), was developed.

Exploring Differences in Caregiver Communication in Serious Illness.

Demographic factors, such as disease context and family relationships, are communication mediators and moderators; however, little is known about how understanding these factors can improve caregiver communication with providers. Recognition of communication differences among caregivers may aid the development of approaches to improve serious illness communication. To explore whether caregiver communication differs by disease context (cancer vs.

Family Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Applying the Family Caregiver Communication Typology to Parent Caregivers.

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience greater stress and caregiver burden than parents of children with other disabilities. To cope with the stress of long-term caregiving, they rely on professionals for support and guidance. However, parents continue to report unmet communication and support needs.

Assessing Family Caregiver Communication in Chronic Illness: Validation of the FCCT-CI.

Chronic illness care demands attention to the unique needs of family caregivers who support care at home, yet few tools exist for family caregiver assessment in the social domain of practice. The Family Caregiver Communication Tool (FCCT) assesses caregiver communication as part of the family system and was originally developed for cancer caregivers. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically-validate a version of the FCCT for Chronic Illness (FCCT-CI).

Collective caregivers: A novel examination of health literacy management approaches.

Objective: Health literacy and communication skills are necessary for family caregivers who often work in pairs, known as collective caregiving. Health literacy management is a relational process where communication between caregivers can be a barrier or pathway to improving or co-creating health literacy. The purpose of this study was to examine how collective caregivers manage health literacy.

Communication and Competencies Across Undergraduate BSN Programs and Curricula.

Background: An investigation was conducted to assess for and describe health communication instruction in entry-level baccalaureate (BSN) programs.

Method: This cross-sectional descriptive study examined entry-level baccalaureate degree nursing programs in the United States. A three-step process was used: (1) online survey of directors of BSN programs, (2) online survey of simulation directors, and (3) analysis of course titles and descriptions.

COVID 19-transformed nursing education and communication competency: Testing COMFORT educational resources.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought a disruption to nurse education for both nursing faculty and students as all non-clinical nurse education courses worldwide moved to distance or online learning. The sudden shift to online education meant the loss of traditional activities for students to learn communication skills creating a critical demand for open educational resources for students and nursing faculty. Tools to support nursing faculty development for teaching communication are nearly non-existent and pedagogical content knowledge is needed.

Sharing COMFORT Communication Training With Healthcare Professionals in Nairobi, Kenya: A Pilot Webinar Series.

Background: Communication training for healthcare providers is evident in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, however training opportunities are not available in countries with limited resources.

Objectives: To investigate perceived comfort in communication about end-of-life and palliative care among healthcare providers in Nairobi, Kenya and to evaluate a pilot webinar-based communication training series.

Methods: Through a partnership with a research hospital in Nairobi, healthcare providers engaged an online survey to assess perceived comfort in communication and prior educational training in communication.

Opportunities to improve COVID-19 provider communication resources: A systematic review.

Objective: Communication related to COVID-19 between provider and the patient/family is impacted by isolation requirements, time limitations, and lack of family/partner access. Our goal was to determine the content of provider communication resources and peer-reviewed articles on COVID-19 communication in order to identify opportunities for developing future COVID-19 communication curricula and support tools.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the UpToDate clinical decision support resource database, CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science.

Access to Broadband Internet and its Utilization for Health Information Seeking and Health Communication among Informal Caregivers in the United States.

Informal caregivers provide unpaid care to their physically or mentally ill loved ones and play a critical role in the healthcare delivery. eHealth tools, including the broadband internet, can facilitate care processes and impact the caregiving burden through seeking health information and health communication. This study examines the predictors of access to broadband internet and the factors associated with health information seeking and health communication among informal caregivers with broadband internet.

Health Literacy and Health Communication Training for Underserved Patients and Informal Family Caregivers.

Communication training effectiveness for health care providers has been well documented, however patient and caregiver training may present a prime opportunity to mitigate communication challenges that provider-only training cannot. The aim of this study is to describe the multi-step process of adapting a national, provider, health communication training program (COMFORT) for use with underserved patients and caregivers who (1) are not regular consumers within health care systems and/or (2) do not have ready access to providers. We examine three iterations of training feedback for implementation in future training.

Family caregivers' perceived communication self-efficacy with physicians.

Objective: Family-centered health care requires successful communication between patient, family caregivers, and healthcare providers. Among all providers, physicians are most likely to interact with caregivers. Using the Family Caregiver Communication Typology, this study examined perceived communication self-efficacy with physicians among four types of caregivers: Manager, Partner, Carrier, and Lone.

Exploring Family Caregiver Communication Difficulties and Caregiver Quality of Life and Anxiety.

Background: When family caregivers are involved in patient care, both patients and caregivers experience better clinical outcomes. However, caregivers experience communication difficulties as they navigate a complex health care system and interact with health care providers. Research indicates that caregivers experience a communication burden that can result in topic avoidance and distress; however, little is known about how burden stemming from communication difficulties with health care providers relates to caregiving outcomes.

The COMFORT Communication Model: A Nursing Resource to Advance Health Literacy in Organizations.

The COMFORT Model has recently been revised based on feedback from bedside nurses working in palliative care and oncology and includes the following components: Connect, Options, Making Meaning, Family Caregiver, Openings, Relating, and Team. Based on clinical and nonclinical research in hospital, hospice, palliative care, and interdisciplinary education settings, the authors present the updated COMFORT Model. Originally introduced in 2012 to support the work of the nurse, the model is not a linear guide, an algorithm, a protocol, or a rubric for sequential implementation by nurses, but rather a set of communication principles that are practiced concurrently and reflectively during patient/family care.

Promoting Transformative Community Change for Equitable Health: Peer Education and Intervention for Pre-Exposure HIV Prophylaxis.

Many new HIV infections occur through individuals who are unaware of their HIV status. HIV disparities are more prevalent among underserved populations, and the number of new cases in the U.S.

Development of a communication and health literacy curriculum: Optimizing the informal cancer caregiver role.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop learning objectives and identify content for a core communication and health literacy curriculum designed to optimize the role of informal cancer caregivers (family or friends).

Methods: A three-step process was conducted: (a) two-round online Delphi method process with experts (n = 9) in cancer caregiving to gain consensus on curriculum learning objectives; (b) online survey of oncology providers (n = 32) to generate potential content and rate importance of domains; and (c) focus group of cancer caregivers (n = 6) to explore caregiving experiences and curriculum content topics.

Results: Overall, 17 learning objectives and 53 topics were identified for a cancer caregiver communication and health literacy curriculum.

Palliative Care Communication: Outcomes From COMFORT, a Train-the-Trainer Course for Providers.

Background: With increasing support for the integration of palliative care and standard oncology, communication training programs are needed to teach oncology nurses and other providers about palliative care communication.

Objectives: This study reports on the outcomes of COMFORTTM SM Communication for Oncology Nurses, a train-the-trainer communication course to educate oncology nurses about palliative care communication and improve patient-centered communication and cancer care.

Methods: 355 oncology nurses attended the two-day course.

A student-driven HIV/PrEP communication intervention using a modified social network strategy.

Objective: The authors examined college students' experiences of providing peer-education, using the modified Social Network Strategy (SNS).

Participants: Ninety-six college students participated this project during the 2018 academic year, drawn from a large, Mid-Southern urban university.

Methods: Students who administered the HIV-PrEP health intervention completed a cross-sectional assessment about their experiences in the project.

Variation in health literacy among family caregiver communication types.

Objective: Previously, four caregiver types have been identified as a result of communication patterns between patient and caregiver, revealing unique caregiver information needs and preferences. The purpose of this study was to explore variation in health literacy among the four family caregiver communication types: manager, partner, carrier, and lone caregivers.

Methods: The sample consisted of 115 cancer caregivers.

Access to Personal Health Records and Screening for Breast and Cervical Cancer Among Women with a Family History of Cancer.

It is essential for at-risk women to be screened for breast and cervical cancer in a timely manner. Despite a growing interest in the role of health information technology including personal health records (PHRs) to improve quality and outcomes in health care, less is known about the effectiveness of PHRs to promote breast and cervical cancer screening among women with a family history of cancer (FHC). We examined the association between access to PHRs and the use of a recommended mammography and a Pap smear testing among women with a FHC using data from the 2015 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4-cycle 4) and the 2016 Area Health Resource Files.