Association Between the Communication Skills of Physicians and the Signing of Do-Not-Resuscitate Consent for Terminally Ill Patients in Emergency Rooms (Cross-Sectional Study).

BACKGROUND: The signing of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) consent is mandatory in providing a palliative approach in the end-of-life care for the terminally ill patients and requires an effective communication between the physician and the patients or their family members. This study aimed to investigate the association between the communication skills of physicians who participated in the SHARE (supportive environment, how to deliver the bad news, additional information, reassurance, and emotional support) model course on the patient notification and the signing of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) consent by the terminally ill patients at emergency rooms. METHODS: Between May 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018, a total of 109 terminally ill patients were enrolled in this study, of which 70 had signed a DNR and 39 had not. Data regarding the patients' medical records, a questionnaire survey completed by family members, and patient observation forms were used for the assessment of physicians' communication skills during patient notification. The observation form was designed based on the SHARE model. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied to identify the independent significant factors of the patient and family member variables as well as the four main components of the observation form. RESULTS: The results revealed that knowing how to convey bad news and providing reassurance and emotional support were significantly correlated with a higher rate of signing DNR consent. Additionally, physician-initiated discussion with family members and a predicted limited life expectancy were negative independent significant factors for signing DNR consent. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that good communication skills help to increase the signing of DNR consent. The learning of such skills from attendance of the SHARE model course is encouraged for the physicians in the palliative care of terminally ill patients in an emergency room.

The training in SHARE communication course by physicians increases the signing of do-not-resuscitate orders for critical patients in the emergency room (cross-sectional study).

BACKGROUND: Communication skills may be an important skill for the front-line emergency physicians. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the effect of training in a SHARE communication course by emergency physicians on patient notification and signing of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders for critical patients in the emergency room. DESIGN: From a total of 29 attending physicians in the emergency department, 19 physicians had been trained in the SHARE communication course. An observation form designed based on the SHARE training was completed by two observers who noted the communication process between physicians and patients and family members during patient notification and signing a DNR order. To assess the influence of physicians trained in a SHARE communication course on the signing of DNR orders, a propensity score-matched population was created to reduce the potential selection bias of patients and family members. SETTING: Level 1 trauma medical center in southern Taiwan. RESULTS: There were 145 individuals enrolled in the study, of which 93 signed the DNR order, and 52 did not sign it. Analysis from 23 matched pairs from this population revealed that significantly more family members would sign a DNR order if the physician had been trained in the SHARE communication course than when they did not receive this training (78.3% vs. 39.1%, respectively, p = 0.017). The overall score of the observation form for physicians was higher in those individuals who had signed a DNR order than in those who did not sign it (29.48 ±â€¯3.72 vs. 26.13 ±â€¯3.52, respectively, p = 0.003), especially when the physician had chosen a quiet environment (1.35 ±â€¯0.65 vs. 0.87 ±â€¯0.69, respectively, p = 0.020), understood the patient's wishes and confirmed them (1.78 ±â€¯0.42 vs. 1.30 ±â€¯0.70, respectively, p = 0.008), and expressed concern (1.48 ±â€¯0.79 vs. 0.96 ±â€¯0.77, respectively, p = 0.028). In addition, a feedback survey about the feelings experienced by these physicians during the process of patient notification did not reveal a significant difference during the communication with those who had or had not signed DNR orders. CONCLUSION: The training in a SHARE communication course can improve the communication skills of emergency physicians in patient notification and signing of DNR orders for critical patients.