Cultivating Empathy and Soft Skills Among Intensive Care Residents: Effects of a Mandatory, Simulation-Based, Experiential Training

BACKGROUND: Communication with families is crucial in ICU care. However, only a few residency programs include communication and relationship training in their curricula. This study aimed to assess the impact of a communication-skill course on residents’ empathy and self-reported skills. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A single-center, observational study was conducted. Since 2017, the 4th-year residents of the Anaesthesia and Intensive Care School, University of Milan attended the mandatory “Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills in ICU (PERCS-ICU)”. PERCS-ICU lasted 10 hours and involved small groups of residents. The course was articulated around the simulation and debriefing of 3 difficult conversations with trained actors. Before and after the course, residents completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and a questionnaire measuring self-assessed preparation, communication skills, relational skills, confidence, anxiety, emotional awareness, management of emotions, and self-reflection when conducting difficult conversations. The quality and usefulness of the course and the case scenario were assessed on a 5-point Likert scales. RESULTS: Between 2017 and 2019, 6 PERCS-ICU courses were offered to 71 residents, 69 of whom completed the questionnaires. After the course, residents reported improvements in empathy (p<.05), preparation (p<.001), communication skills (p<.005), confidence (p<.001), self-reflection (p<.001), and emotional awareness (p<.001). Residents perceived the course as very useful (mean=4.79) and high-quality (mean=4.58). The case scenario appeared very realistic (mean=4.83) and extremely useful (mean=4.91). All residents recommended the course to other colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: PERCS-ICU proved to be a well-received and effective course to improve residents’ empathy and some self-reported skills. The long-term effects remain to be investigated.