Communication is the foundation of interprofessional palliative care. Everything we want for our patients—better outcomes, better quality of life, higher patient satisfaction, fewer hospital readmissions, more equitable care—starts with building trusting relationships between patients, their caregivers, and the care team. There are several essential skills to effective communication from delivering serious news, discussing prognosis, clarifying goals of care, leading care meetings, and care planning. These skills promote holistic, individualized patient care for people living with serious illness and their caregivers for all members of the health care team. This unit provides the learner with knowledge and evidence of communication principles as well as case scenarios in which to practice them.
Take all five courses in this unit to achieve CAPC Designation status in communication. Designation can be added to your performance file or resume to indicate comprehensive training in communication skills.
CAPC members can earn the following free continuing education credits and MOC credits:
Learn more about becoming a CAPC member.
The continuing education values listed on this page apply to the current term of accreditation for the courses in this unit. See individual course pages for more information about the accrediting bodies.
Course 1 of 5
Learn best practices for having patient-centered conversations about a serious illness diagnosis. These discussions are the foundation of building a trusting clinician-patient relationship.
Course 2 of 5
Learn how to effectively discuss prognosis with patients and their caregivers to ensure understanding and set the context for decision-making.
Course 3 of 5
Learn best practices for building trust, eliciting patient values, and having patient-centered conversations about goals of care.
Course 4 of 5
Learn to effectively lead conversations that address a range of concerns and emotions to help patients and caregivers become aligned around the patient’s goals.
Course 5 of 5
Learn techniques to help patients and their caregivers plan for the future, both during the early stages of a serious illness and as a disease progresses.