ABSTRACT

The many authors claim that poor communication may lead to bad consultations and patient results, but there is not enough evidence to support this argument. In this study, the aim was to determine whether consultation training makes a difference in the consultation process and patient outcomes.

This prospective, pre-/post-training study was conducted from June 1, 2019 to August 12, 2019 in an adult emergency department (ED). A feedback form with 9 questions related to the communication styles of emergency physicians (EPs) and their consultation processes was filled out by consultants. ED and hospital length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and additional requests were also noted. The validated 5Cs consultation model was used for training.

In the study, 724 of 1,295 eligible consultations (55.9%) were evaluated by consultants. The median scores of 7 questions related to the consultation processes and communication styles of the EPs increased after training, while there was no difference in patient outcomes or additional requests. In subgroup analyses, the median score of only 1 question increased in the internal consultations after training, while increases were noted for scores on 6 questions relating to surgical consultations. Similarly, there was no significant difference related to patients’ outcomes and additional requests in these subgroup analyses.

Consultation training had positive effects on the consultation processes and communication styles of the EPs. However, there was no difference in patient outcomes. Nevertheless, we believe that there should be communication skills training in countries that don’t already have this in place.