Long-Term Effect of Multidisciplinary Communication Training on Empathy and Confidence in Health Care Providers Following Adverse Events [ID 3526]

INTRODUCTION: Adverse events (AEs) in health care—such as medical errors and patient harm—are a leading cause of death in the United States and have long-lasting emotional and behavioral effects on patients and families. Effective communication following AEs is critical, yet providers often lack training, institutional guidance, and confidence to navigate these conversations. Communication training programs have shown promise in improving provider empathy, competence, and confidence, but there is limited data on ob-gyn practicing providers, allied health care staff, and administrators. METHODS: A 4-hour multidisciplinary communication training was conducted at a large Midwestern academic hospital system (2022–2024). Training included didactics, simulated patient scenarios, and group debriefings. Participants were ob-gyn clinicians, nurses, and administrative staff. In 2025, 58 participants received follow-up surveys; 33 responded. Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS, and qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. RESULTS: Post-training, participants reported high empathy (mean 4.38, SD .38), communication competence (mean 4.45, SD .49), and confidence (mean 4.28, SD .43). No significant differences existed between clinical and nonclinical groups. Qualitative feedback included better empathy, structured conversations, and comfort apologizing. Ninety-seven percent reported changed communication practices, and 91% applied skills in practice. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Training led to sustained empathy and confidence improvements across roles and specialties. Participants noted high uptake and ongoing use of skills. To our knowledge, there are no other published studies on the effect of communication training in practicing ob-gyn providers, allied staff, and administrators. Future efforts should add unscripted scenarios and behavioral assessments beyond self-report.