After increasing telehealth consultations, Englewood Health is the first hospital system to utilize the training that involves professional improvisational actors

ORLANDO - The Orsini Way, a healthcare communications training company dedicated to enhancing the patient experience and improving outcomes, announces the launch of its telehealth communication training program. Based on the popular Breaking Bad News Program® that has trained thousands of healthcare providers over the past 10 years, the telehealth version is designed to teach medical professionals how to communicate more compassionately and effectively when using telehealth solutions. The training occurs via video conferencing, where professional improvisational actors play patients to simulate real-life scenarios for medical professionals. Immediately following the role-playing, the physicians and nurses review their recorded video sessions and receive coaching from certified instructors.

Delivering difficult news to patients and their families is a difficult skill to master for medical professionals. According to research, 71% of patients have reported experiencing a lack of compassion when speaking with a physician. With increased virtual consultations brought on by the pandemic, these conversations can be even more unnatural and uncomfortable for doctors. A recent survey found the percentage of physicians using telehealth to see patients increased by 22% from 2019.

“Medical school doesn’t prepare you to tell someone over telehealth that their loved one is dying,” said Dr. Anthony Orsini, practicing neonatologist and founder and president of The Orsini Way. “Our program simulates the emotions these conversations invoke and allows doctors to receive critical feedback to improve interactions with patients and their families. The pandemic is changing the vehicle medical professionals use to communicate with patients, so we developed a training program to make sure physicians and nurses are effectively prepared.”

Englewood Health, a leading hospital and health care system in New Jersey, is the first health system to participate in the new training program and turned to The Orsini Way after the pandemic forced the health system to rely heavily on virtual communication platforms. 

“The pandemic changed so much for so many. We had to quickly pivot to telehealth consultations at a time where our team was beyond overwhelmed,” said Dr. Tanganyika Barnes, program director of the internal medicine residency program at Englewood Health. “The training we received from The Orsini Way is like none other. Our residents now have greater confidence and skills to lead conversations with patients and their families, whether in person or virtually. I’m still amazed that after each training I still walk away having learned something new from its experts.”

The telehealth training program is held completely virtually and serves as an expansion of the company, allowing The Orsini Way to reach more hospital systems as well as have individual trainings with healthcare professionals. The Orsini Way also recently launched interactive and virtual learning modules for individual practitioners to utilize. The modules are designed to teach medical professionals how to communicate and build trusting relationships with patients. 

To learn more about The Orsini Way, please visit: https://theorsiniway.com/