Objectives: Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians deliver serious news (DSN) in stressful situations that impact both families and physicians. Our objective was to assess the impact of a PEM-focused workshop on DSN in improving the self-perceived preparedness, skill level, and stress management of PEM physicians. Methods: We designed a simulation-based communication workshop, “PEMTalk,” utilizing simulated parents to teach PEM attendings and fellows to effectively DSN. The workshop was conducted in a virtual and in-person format from 2018 to 2023. We developed 3 scenarios unique to PEM. Pre- and postintervention surveys were administered to assess the workshop’s impact. Results: A total of 74 participants completed surveys. Among the 34 first-time participants, there were improvements in provider’s self-perceived ability to DSN (41% vs. 97%; P <0.001), respond to emotions (50% vs. 97%; P <0.001), and decrease in stress (47% vs. 21%; P =0.003) due to DSN. Among the 23 participants who participated in the study more than once, there were sustained improvements in their self-perceived ability to DSN (39% vs. 69%; P =0.02). Fellows (53% of participants) were more likely than attendings to report improvement in DSN OR 6; 95% CI (1.05-41.67); P =0.04. There was no difference in outcomes between in-person and virtual formats. Conclusion: PEMTalk enhanced participants’ self-reported comfort while reducing stress associated with DSN in a simulated setting. Next steps include incorporating objective assessments, evaluating the impact on patient care, and disseminating the workshop to the broader PEM community.
Lee et al. (Fri,) studied this question.