Conducting family meetings in palliative care: Themes, techniques, and preliminary evaluation of a communication skills module JENNIFER A. GUEGUEN, M.S., CARMA L. BYLUND, PH.D., RICHARD F. BROWN, PH.D., TOMER T. LEVIN, M.B., B.S., AND DAVID W. KISSANE, M.D. Department of Psychiatryand Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (RECEIVED June 23, 2008; ACCEPTED July 19, 2008) ABSTRACT Objective: To develop a communication skills training module for health care professionals about how to conduct a family meeting in palliative care and to evaluate the module in terms of participant self-efficacy and satisfaction. Methods: Forty multispecialty health care professionals from the New York metropolitan area attended a communication skills training module at a Comprehensive Cancer Center about how to conduct a family meeting in oncology. The modular content was based on the Comskil model and current literature in the field. Results: Based on a retrospective pre–post measure, participants reported a significant increase in self-efficacy about their ability to conduct a family meeting. Furthermore, at least 93% of participants expressed their satisfaction with various aspects of the module by agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements on the course evaluation form. Significance of results: Family meetings play a significant role in the palliative care setting, where family support for planning and continuing care is vital to optimize patient care. Although these meetings can be challenging, this communication skills module is effective in increasing the confidence of participants in conducting a family meeting. KEYWORDS: Communication skills training, Family meeting, Oncology, Palliative care INTRODUCTION Family members are an essential resource for cancer patients, often serving as caregivers, liaisons, and proxy informants as well as offering support and par- ticipating in the decision-making process. Family members are second-order patients within a model of family-centered care (Rait & Lederberg, 1989). As patients increasingly seek to avoid hospitalization and stay at home as much as possible, the role of fa- mily caregivers has expanded. Some 70% of the time, a cancer patient’s primary caregiver is the spouse, whereas for 20% it is the patient’s children and 10% a more distant relative or friend (Sutherland, 1956; Given & Given, 1989; Ferrell et al., 1991). The “family” is defined broadly as whomever the patient considers their family, kinship bonds not withstand- ing. Those who offer support to the patient and take a role in care provision can be considered “family.” In this article, we present a model of communi- cation skills training that guides the conduct of a rou- tine family meeting in palliative care. We discuss implications of the module, course evaluation data from participants, and areas for future research. The Resilient Family and the “At-Risk” Family A resilient family is characterized as being able to adapt in times of adversity. The family is thus strengthened to the benefit of its members and com- munity. Central characteristics of such a family in- clude (a) cohesion, membership, and family Address correspondence and reprint requests to: David W. Kissane, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 641 Lexington Ave., 7th floor, New York, NY 10022. E-mail: kissaned@mskcc.org Palliative and Supportive Care (2009), 7, 171–179. Printed in the USA. Copyright # 2009 Cambridge University Press 1478-9515/09 $20.00 doi:10.1017/S1478951509000224 171