Improving the quality of physician communication with rapid-throughput analysis and report cards.

OBJECTIVE: Problems with clinician-patient communication negatively impact newborn screening, genetics, and all of healthcare. Training programs teach communication, but educational methods are not feasible for entire populations of clinicians. To address this healthcare quality gap, we developed a Communication Quality Assurance intervention. METHODS: Child health providers volunteered for a randomized controlled trial of assessment and a report card. Participants provided telephone counseling to a standardized parent regarding a newborn screening result showing heterozygous status for cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease. Our rapid-throughput timeline allows individualized feedback within a week. Two encounters were recorded (baseline and after a random sample received the report card) and abstracted for four groups of communication quality indicators. RESULTS: 92 participants finished both counseling encounters within our rapid-throughput time limits. Participants randomized to receive the report card improved communication behaviors more than controls, including request for teach-back (p<0.01), opening behaviors (p=0.01), anticipate/validate emotion (p<0.001) and the ratio of explained to unexplained jargon words (p<0.03). CONCLUSION: The rapid-throughput report card is effective at improving specific communication behaviors. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Communication can be taught, but this project shows how healthcare organizations can assure communication quality everywhere. Further implementation could improve newborn screening, genetics, and healthcare in general.

Factors that influence parents' experiences with results disclosure after newborn screening identifies genetic carrier status for cystic fibrosis or sickle cell hemoglobinopathy.

OBJECTIVE: Newborn screening (NBS) identifies genetic carriers for sickle cell hemoglobinopathy and cystic fibrosis. We aimed to identify factors during initial NBS carrier results disclosure by primary care providers (PCPs) that influenced parents' experiences and reactions. METHODS: Open-ended responses from telephone interviews with 270 parents of carriers were analyzed using mixed-methods. Conventional content analysis identified influential factors; chi-square tests analyzed relationships between factors and parent-reported reactions. RESULTS: Parents reported positive (35%) or negative (31%) reactions to results disclosure. Parents' experiences were influenced by specific factors: content messages (72%), PCP traits (47%), and aspects of the setting (30%). Including at least one of five specific content messages was associated (p<0.05) with positive parental reactions; omitting at least one of four specific content messages was associated (p<0.05) with negative parental reactions. Parents reported positive reactions when PCPs avoided jargon or were perceived as calm. Parents reported negative reactions to jargon usage and results disclosure by voicemail. CONCLUSION: Parents identified aspects of PCP communication which influenced their reactions and results disclosure experiences. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings suggest ways PCPs may improve communication of carrier results. PCPs should provide specific content messages and consider how their actions, characteristics, and setting can influence parental reactions.

A method to assess the organizing behaviors used in physicians' counseling of standardized parents after newborn genetic screening.

Well-organized conversation can improve people's ability to comprehend and retain information. As part of a long-term effort to adapt Quality Improvement techniques for communication, we developed an explicit-criteria method to assess usage of three organizing behaviors (OBs): 'opening behaviors' to establish goals; 'structuring behaviors' to guide patients through conversation; and 'emphasizing behaviors' that signal a need for attention. Pairs of abstractors independently reviewed transcripts in a demonstration sample of conversations between physicians and standardized parents after newborn screening identifies carrier status for sickle cell disease. Criteria for at least one OB were identified in 50/84 transcripts (60%), including 27 with at least one opening behavior (32%), 5 with at least one structuring behavior (6%), and 38 with at least one emphasizing behavior (45%). The limited number of OBs raises concern about communication after newborn screening. Assessment and improvement of OB usage may improve understanding and allow parents to more actively participate in health care.