On this episode: Dr Sarah Edwards ‘Engaging in Unexpected Communications’.

We speak to Dr Sarah Edwards who is a Senior Registrar, working within Emergency Medicine.

Sadly, due to the nature of Sarah’s work, she is no stranger to communicating with patients, service users and their relatives/guardians/partners about a very challenging prognosis, or diagnosis.

Following an upsetting family event where this communication fell below standard, and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, where many of these conversations had to be achieved over a phone conversation, Sarah and some interested colleagues decided to create a comprehensive training program.

This program, which included simulation-based education with professional actors, aimed to help other clinicians and allied health professionals learn, rehearse, and understand how to undertake such conversations. Sarah and I extract all the advice from her work, including recounted clinical stories from our own professional careers, to analyse the features of communication skills that work well, including the pitfalls to avoid when engaging with patients and their closest connections.

We also give tips and practical pearls of wisdom to students of all disciplines which you can put to good use, and hopefully feel more confident when interacting within these situations.

Web links from the show

To access TCTC role play simulations

Time Critical Telephone Conversations: Role Play Simulations

E-learning package: Enhancing End Of Life Care

E-LFH End of Life Care Training

Royal College of Emergency Medicine "Dying matters in the ED"

RCEM learning; Dying Matters in the ED

To get an overview on key features of difficult conversations.

Macmillan guide to communicating bad news



Wellbeing/Mental Health Support contacts

If you are a student of staff member at Staffordshire University and have been affected by any of the topics that have been discussed in this podcast, don’t struggle alone, Staffordshire University are here to help… contact Wellbeing Support on 01782 294976 or by emailing studentwellbeing@staffs.ac.uk.

For our external listeners, mental health crisis lines and suicide prevention, please reach out and use the links below.

NHS Mental Health Services: Where to get help

Find Dr Sarah Edwards on twitter

@Drsarahedwards


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Contact The Link podcast team: Twitter: @benw_h email: ben.woodrow-hirst@staffs.ac.uk Samuel O’Brian: Samuel.Obrian@staffs.ac.uk or Joe Natalello joseph.natalello@staffs.ac.uk


Hosted by: Ben Woodrow-Hirst
Produced & Edited By: Ben Woodrow-Hirst
Artwork: Shaun Kelly
Theme Music: Gavin Samways