Deliberate Practice to Improve Interdisciplinary Communication: A Pilot Study

Good communication is vital in providing optimal medical care. We developed a simulation-based communication-training program for healthcare providers using methodologies of Verbal Judo. To evaluate the effectiveness of improving resident communication with nurses by teaching Verbal Judo communication tactics using deliberate practice (intervention) versus traditional debriefing (control). Thirty-five residents were randomized into control or intervention groups. Communication skills were evaluated using self-assessment, real-life assessment by nurses, and video-observed graded assessment. The nurse assessments found improvement in both groups from baseline to 6-month follow-up. There was improvement in self-assessments in both groups but only the intervention group reached statistical significance. There was no significant difference in blinded assessments. There was no difference in scores between the 3 time points. Participants scored themselves lower than the observer. Our study found an improvement in communication over time but was unable to find a difference between teaching with deliberate practice or traditional debriefing.