Breaking bad news in China--the dilemma of patients' autonomy and traditional norms. A first communication skills training for Chinese oncologists and caretakers.

Objective: Current practice of breaking bad news in China involves disclosure of information first to family members who then decide whether the patient should receive this information. Recently, however, patients' right to be informed has been regulated by law. This represents a dilemma for oncologists who now have to balance traditional practice with new legal requirements.

Specific training program improves oncologists' palliative care communication skills in a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to demonstrate that COM-ON-p, concise and individualized communication skills training (CST), improves oncologists' communication skills in consultations focusing on the transition to palliative care.

Methods: Forty-one physicians were randomly assigned to a control (CG) or intervention group (IG). At t(0), all physicians held two video-recorded consultations with actor-patient pairs.

Development and evaluation of a checklist assessing communication skills of oncologists: the COM-ON-Checklist.

Objectives: Communication skills training (CST) has to be proven effective, and therefore reliable instruments to evaluate CST are required. Most instruments assessing medical consultations do not take individual aspects of CST into consideration. Such assessment tools should naturally also be closely associated with the communication skills taught to the participants.

Addressing the transition from curative to palliative care: concept and acceptance of a specific communication skills training for physicians in oncology--COM-ON-p.

Background: There are several reasons why consultations addressing the transition to palliative care are especially challenging, and physicians are generally not very well prepared to meet these challenges. We therefore conceptualized and evaluated a concise, individualized communication skills training (CST) addressing i) communication concerning the transition to palliative care, and ii) involvement of significant others in the conversation. Core aspects of the CST and data of acceptance will be presented.