Communications

The heart of the CAPE’s work is communications training. No matter the field or profession, communication is a complex tool we all use and the CAPE strives to educate professionals and teams on how to communicate effectively. From interprofessional activities to one-on-one remediations, the goal is to equip all learners across the lifespan with tools and strategies fit for various situations.

Some of the training and evaluation tools include:

I-ACT (Interprofessional Anschutz Communication Toolbox)

• The toolbox is meant as a large menu of communication skill assessment items for use on the CU-Anschutz Campus. The toolbox is a SOURCE of communication skills for assessment and practice, with customized checklist choices made by program faculty according to learner needs, level of development and case context.
• This communication skills assessment toolbox was based on the following sources and experiences:
  • Relationship centered care and communication theory and practice.
  • Diverse communication models in healthcare, including provider, patient and relationship centered and curricular nationally and internationally.
  • Reviews of literature and conference materials and discussions across field of communication in healthcare.
  • Experiences educating and remediating learners, providers and leaders in communication skills on the CU-Anschutz Campus.
  • Interpersonal Communication Skills and Professionalism Competencies as defined by licensing bodies and competency committees on campus.

TeamSTEPPS©

TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) is an evidence-based framework to optimize team performance across the healthcare delivery system. The core of the TeamSTEPPS framework is comprised of four skills: Leadership, Situation Monitoring, Mutual Support, and Communication. These skills must interplay with the Team Competency Outcomes: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Performance.

CAPE utilizes the following models to train and assess individuals and teams:

• One-on-One
• Interprofessional
• FishBowl
  • The fishbowl method provides a dynamic, interactive experimental practice-feedback loop in real time.
  • Learners receive time, space and insights from facilitators and participants in a deliberative format.
  • Learners are also to tailor or customize interactions to meet their needs.
• Small Groups