PEC innovation最新文献

{"title":"The protective role of HCWs communication for the distress of newly diagnosed people with leukemia and lymphoma","authors":"Fabio Guolo ,&nbsp;Francesca Riccardi ,&nbsp;Paola Del Sette ,&nbsp;Cecilia Perrone ,&nbsp;Paola Minetto ,&nbsp;Andrea Todiere ,&nbsp;Filippo Ballerini ,&nbsp;Carola Riva ,&nbsp;Michele Cea ,&nbsp;Roberto Massimo Lemoli ,&nbsp;Gabriella Biffa ,&nbsp;Elena Sarcletti","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Patients with hematologic malignancies face a unique illness trajectory that contributes to high distress. Physician-patient communication can enhance well-being, therapeutic alliance, and adherence; however, its impact in hematology remains underexplored. We investigate the satisfaction of people with leukemia and lymphoma regarding the communication of healthcare providers and their perceived support, and their effects on distress.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this cross-sectional, observational study, 54 individuals with leukemia and lymphoma completed a questionnaire assessing their perceived support, communication, and distress. We conducted correlation and regression analyses to assess how healthcare worker–patient communication and perceived support relate to distress.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We found moderate to high distress in more than 60 % of patients. Main results revealed that distress was related to the perception of having received adequate information from healthcare providers, <em>β</em> = −0.20, <em>p</em> = .046, along with emotional, <em>β</em> = 0.66, <em>p</em> &lt; .001, and practical problems, <em>β</em> = 0.28, <em>p</em> = .006.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Findings highlight healthcare providers' role in reducing distress by addressing patients' informational needs, underscoring the necessity of targeted communication training.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>This study pioneers evidence in hematology, demonstrating how patient-centered communication and tailored strategies effectively support patients' well-being in unpredictable trajectories.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100439"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145265878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving medication information systems utilizing a universal design framework","authors":"Kate Li ,&nbsp;Grayson Holt ,&nbsp;Jeffrey Zabinski ,&nbsp;Martin Calabrese","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100437","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100437","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Almost a quarter of U.S. adults cannot determine what time they should take medication based on instructions printed on prescription medication labels. Taking medication at an incorrect dosage or alongside incompatible foods can lead to severe health complications.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The principles of Universal Design (UD) can guide the design of tools and materials that more effectively communicate medication information to all patients. UD aims to create designs that can be accessed and understood by people of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds. The framework has shown success in several fields, including the built environment, product design, and education. This demonstrated effectiveness suggests UD has the potential to improve the communication of medication information.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Applying the evaluative framework identified strengths in perceptible information and flexibility of use across audio aids and digital platforms. However, these tools fail to uphold simple and intuitive use for individuals with low digital health literacy. Applying UD to prescriber-modifiable language can improve simple and intuitive use and tolerance for error, but it encounters limitations in the principles of size and space and low physical effort. These examples highlight the effectiveness of a UD framework in identifying gaps in information access and guiding the creation of more inclusive design approaches.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Applying UD principles can address healthcare inequity and create a safer, more reliable medication information system for patients.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>The recent FDA proposal for new Patient Medication Information sheet highlights the need for better communication of medication information. To our knowledge, Universal Design (UD) has not yet been applied to medication information systems. Thus, we propose utilizing Universal Design (UD) as a framework to evaluate and improve medication information systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100437"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of extended communication skills training, with and without supplemental follow-up, on physician burnout, empathy, satisfaction with medicine, and self-compassion and patient satisfaction","authors":"Mark Ashley ,&nbsp;Melissa Esslinger ,&nbsp;Davida Becker ,&nbsp;Amy Wolf ,&nbsp;Jennifer Sangiacomo ,&nbsp;Lucia Soh","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100435","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100435","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The study compares two different formats of a clinician-patient communication skills training program, Communication Skills Intensive (CSI) a 3.5-day residential training program vs Enhanced Communication Skills Intensive (CSI+) which includes CSI plus additional follow-up activities over six months. We tracked physician-level outcomes including empathy, burnout, satisfaction with medicine, and self-compassion, and patient satisfaction to determine optimal intensity of follow-up strategies required to sustain the benefits of clinician-patient communication training.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted within the Physician Education Department of a large healthcare organization. Two iterations of the program were compared: the 3.5-day Communication Skills Intensive (CSI) and an enhanced version incorporating supplemental follow-up activities (CSI+).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Findings revealed that both CSI and CSI+ led to significant reductions in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. However, only CSI+ demonstrated sustained improvements in physicians' self-reported empathy, as measured by the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. Both programs resulted in increased patient satisfaction, with improvements persisting over time. Notably, patient satisfaction scores continued to rise in 2024, indicating lasting positive effects.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>This study contributes to understanding the extent to which supplemental training is required to sustain the benefits of intensive residential communication training. More broadly, by demonstrating that a single-session residential program can yield sustained improvements across multiple domains, the study establishes an important benchmark for the design of efficient and impactful physician training interventions.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion and conclusions</h3><div>Stand-alone intensive communication training delivers significant benefits, improving both physician well-being and patient satisfaction. Supplemental follow-up may reinforce physicians' perception of their own empathy toward patients.</div></div><div><h3>Practice implications</h3><div>Future research should explore scalable strategies to sustain these benefits and further optimize training interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100435"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The development, delivery, and evaluation of novel longitudinal empathy-focused communication skills training at a UK medical school","authors":"Andy Ward ,&nbsp;Conor Gilligan ,&nbsp;Amber Bennett-Weston ,&nbsp;Jeremy Howick","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100436","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100436","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Empathy benefits patients and clinicians, yet medical students' empathy often declines during training. A key factor is that communication skills teaching is rarely empathy-focused, evidence-based, or longitudinal.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>To establish principles of best practice for training and curriculum design based on existing literature; audit our existing curriculum; and design and pilot elements of a longitudinal curriculum based on existing evidence and our experience.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We audited the existing curriculum to identify gaps in empathy-focused communication training and compared our findings with systematic review evidence. Students, educators, and patient representatives developed and refined a preliminary curriculum as equal partners in co-production workshops.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The audit showed that empathy training was concentrated in the early years, focusing on active listening and rapport-building, with little evidence-based content or longitudinal reinforcement. Co-production workshops generated recommendations, including formative workplace-based assessments with patient feedback, structured home visits during early training, and patient advocacy experiences. A new longitudinal curriculum was developed, embedding advanced empathy skills, evidence-based positive messaging strategies, and integrated assessments throughout the clinical years. Pilot sessions using role-play with “difficult” patients showed that students and tutors better understood empathy in challenging consultations.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion and conclusion</h3><div>We identified and addressed key gaps in empathy training using a systematic, evidence-based, co-produced approach. The resulting curriculum offers a practical, adaptable model for developing lasting empathic communication skills across medical education.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>We developed a replicable model that combines longitudinal home visits, workplace-based empathy assessments with patient feedback, and integration of evidence-based communication strategies throughout the medical curriculum.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100436"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community co-design of research intervention materials to reduce cervical cancer disparities in Appalachia","authors":"Dannell Boatman ,&nbsp;Zachary Jarrett ,&nbsp;Amie M. Ashcraft ,&nbsp;Treah Haggerty ,&nbsp;Ryan D. Baltic ,&nbsp;Mark Cromo ,&nbsp;Lindsay Hauser ,&nbsp;Paul L. Reiter ,&nbsp;Mira L. Katz ,&nbsp;Abigail Shoben ,&nbsp;Mark Dignan ,&nbsp;Amy Ferketich ,&nbsp;Roger T. Anderson ,&nbsp;Electra D. Paskett ,&nbsp;Stephenie Kennedy-Rea","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100434","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100434","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The purpose was to highlight the co-design process of intervention materials as part of a multi-site research collaborative designed to address the burden of cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the Appalachian region.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Program documentation and research staff interviews were used to detail the six-step co-design process along with the eight-step community feedback loop used to develop intervention materials.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Feedback was received via key informant interviews and focus groups from healthcare providers (<em>n</em> = 27), community members (<em>n</em> = 164), and Community Advisory Board members (<em>n</em> = 8) for a total of 172 individuals engaged in the co-design process. Staff received 179 unique pieces of community feedback on intervention materials (<em>n</em> = 14) which were divided between the coding categories of wording (32 %), visual (36 %), and content (31 %).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Findings suggest that community co-design can be effectively integrated within a large, multi-state research collaborative to ensure intervention materials are reflective of the populations they are intended to reach.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>A practical approach to co-design is described which can be adapted by other large, multi-site research studies. The types of community feedback that researchers can expect during this process are elucidated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100434"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Pediatric Ethics & Professionalism Assessment Tool (Pedi-EPAT): Development and implementation of a novel, competency-based assessment","authors":"Omri-David Soffer ,&nbsp;Lori R. Newman ,&nbsp;Mary Brennan ,&nbsp;David N. Williams ,&nbsp;Christy L. Cummings","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To develop and demonstrate validation of a competency-based formative assessment tool, the Pediatric Ethics &amp; Professionalism Assessment Tool (Pedi-EPAT).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using a multi-phased study design, a panel of national experts in pediatrics, ethics, and medical education participated in tool development and established content validity using a Delphi approach. To optimize rating accuracy and minimize inter-rater variation, the panel completed frame-of-reference training, consisting of inter-rater comparisons of 3 recorded, simulated scenarios involving parent-actors and pediatric trainees. Outcomes included degree-of-association of raters' ordinal assessments, agreement of ratings between experts and raters, and median ratings per simulated scenario. Kendall's coefficient was used to estimate consistency across raters, and a structural equation-modeling framework assessed internal reliability</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>11 experts participated in the 2-round Delphi. The final Pedi-EPAT achieved consensus and contained 34 items, including 2 items independent of the Delphi. During FOR training, consistency among the 6 raters by Kendall's coefficient was low-moderate (w = 0.33–0.35, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The tool demonstrated excellent internal reliability (composite reliability = 0.97)</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This novel, competency-based, formative assessment tool demonstrated content validity and internal reliability.</div></div><div><h3>Practice implications</h3><div>The Pedi-EPAT could aid supervising staff in providing high-quality assessments and feedback on ethical behavior and professionalism for pediatric trainees engaging in conversations with families.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100433"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Video recording as a data collection method in vulnerable populations - methodological and ethical considerations","authors":"Marte-Marie Wallander Karlsen ,&nbsp;Kari Sørensen ,&nbsp;Berit Hofset Larsen ,&nbsp;Lena Günterberg Heyn ,&nbsp;Jennifer Gerwing","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100432","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100432","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Video recording vulnerable situations in healthcare practice raises ethical challenges that require addressing throughout the research process. Such challenges are linked to protecting research participants and assessing when and how using video recordings is appropriate.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This article aims to present methodological and ethical considerations inherent in video recording vulnerable participants and to offer future researchers concrete guidance and inspiration as to how they might assess these aspects of their own planned video research.</div></div><div><h3>Results and discussion</h3><div>As a group of researchers who have used video recordings to collect data of patients in vulnerable situations, we reflect upon our own methodological and ethical choices against the backdrop of other research studies and ethical guidelines.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Video recordings provide a unique opportunity to observe human interaction and to understand more about how we relate to each other. This article contributes to knowledge regarding empirically and ethically sound practice. We have demonstrated how methodological and ethical considerations are intertwined and should be treated as such.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>There are no existing guidelines or tools specifically for conducting and reporting qualitative studies using video recording that link the ethical considerations to the methodological choices. This article could provide a point of departure for establishing a reflective tool.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100432"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145265879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Changeons les Règles!” development and feasibility testing of an encounter decision aid for menstrual management in adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities","authors":"Dehlia Moussaoui ,&nbsp;Victoria L. Crofts ,&nbsp;Anne-Chantal Héritier-Barras ,&nbsp;Thomas Agoritsas ,&nbsp;Arnaud Merglen ,&nbsp;Michal Yaron","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To report the developing process and acceptability testing of a decision aid designed for adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities, focusing on treatment options for menstrual management.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We developed a paper-based encounter decision aid to support shared decision-making about treatment options for menstrual management for adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities. This tool was designed to be both evidence-based and user-centered. We conducted a feasibility study to assess its acceptability</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The decision aid was used during consultations with 18 adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Participants reported high levels of acceptability and found the tool helpful in facilitating decision-making. They particularly valued the ability to compare treatment options side by side. The tool also promoted meaningful conversations between patients and clinicians</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The decision aid was well-accepted and successfully facilitated the discussion about menstrual management options between patients and clinicians. Further research is needed to evaluate its long-term impact on decision making outcomes and patient satisfaction</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>This innovative tool may support shared decision-making for adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities and their caregivers, and provide additional insight on how to engage individuals with developmental disabilities in healthcare decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100430"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of a patient-centered informational video for reducing anxiety before coronary catheterization: A self-controlled trial","authors":"Asaf Arel ,&nbsp;Gil Marcus ,&nbsp;Ella Levi ,&nbsp;Olexiy Bonder ,&nbsp;Antoinette Monayer ,&nbsp;Saar Minha","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To evaluate whether viewing a locally produced, patient-centered informational video is associated with lower peri-procedural anxiety among patients undergoing coronary catheterization.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Prospective, single-center, single-arm, self-controlled study. Consecutive weekday-morning patients were enrolled on recruitment days (<em>N</em> = 259). Anxiety was assessed with the Numeric Visual Analog Anxiety Scale (NVAAS, 0–10) at three time points: post-consent/pre-video (T0), immediately post-video/pre-procedure (T1), and post-procedure (T2). The primary analysis used a Friedman test on complete cases (<em>n</em> = 176) with Kendall's W; pairwise contrasts used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Holm adjustment, reporting Hodges–Lehmann median paired differences with 95 % CIs. Available-case and subgroup sensitivity analyses were prespecified.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Median baseline anxiety was 5.0 (IQR 3.0–7.9). Anxiety decreased across time (Friedman χ²(2, <em>n</em> = 176) = 167.28, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001; Kendall's W = 0.48). Pairwise HL median differences were: T1-T0–1.5 (95 % CI -2.0 to −1.0; <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), T2-T0–3.5 (−4.0 to −3.0; p &lt; 0.001), and T2-T1–1.5 (−2.0 to −1.0; p &lt; 0.001). Available-case sensitivity analyses yielded consistent effects. Baseline anxiety was higher in females; it also tended to be higher in first-time catheterization patients (<em>p</em> = 0.099).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Viewing a patient-centered video was associated with lower anxiety before coronary catheterization; causality cannot be inferred from this single-arm design.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>The intervention was produced by the clinical team, filmed in the actual unit, and is publicly available in three languages, offering a scalable, low-cost approach that can be locally adapted. Randomized, multicenter trials are warranted to confirm efficacy and generalizability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100431"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nonverbal behavior in prognostic communication: A pilot experiment in virtual reality","authors":"Brigitte N. Durieux ,&nbsp;Jonathan Gordon ,&nbsp;Justin J. Sanders ,&nbsp;Ja-Nae Duane ,&nbsp;Danielle Blanch-Hartigan ,&nbsp;Jonathan Ericson","doi":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Clinicians' nonverbal behaviors contribute to patients' responses to prognosis communication, yet little empirical evidence supports precise nonverbal behaviors and the mechanisms by which they contribute to perceptions of high-quality communication. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool for researching communication, allowing researchers to manipulate nonverbal behaviors in controlled simulation and examine outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The goal of this pilot study was to assess whether manipulated changes in avatar doctors' nonverbal behaviors could lead to measurable differences of participant feelings, reactions, or sense of immersion in a VR scenario of prognosis communication.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this pilot experiment, university student participants were randomized to a short prognosis communication simulation in immersive VR representing one of five nonverbal conditions: No nonverbals, Smile only, Nod only, Lean only, All nonverbals. Outcomes included cognitive (e.g., cognitive load, recall), socioemotional (e.g., emotional valence, satisfaction, anxiety), and immersion and presence.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our sample comprised 229 participants. Pilot experimental findings suggest that some participant responses differed as a result of the manipulation of nonverbal behaviors. However, results did not point to the presence or absence of a particular nonverbal behavior as driving reactions to prognostic communication.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>VR can allow for experimental manipulation of nonverbal behavior. There is need for further development to optimally conduct sensitive and ecologically valid communication simulations for research, and for research into discrete nonverbal behaviors to improve serious illness communication training and practice.</div></div><div><h3>Innovation</h3><div>VR experimental simulations are a promising tool for building the evidence base of nonverbal behavior in serious illness communication.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74407,"journal":{"name":"PEC innovation","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100424"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144931785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}