Using an AI tool to simulate a challenging conversation
An article written by Sharon Wetzig, Learning and Development Coordinator, Palliative Care Education & Training Collaborative
Practising challenging conversations is an important way to develop confidence in communication. Talking about palliative care topics, such as, prognosis, goals of care, advance care planning and decision-making, using an AI tool can be very helpful and feel like ‘real-life’. It can also be less threatening for newer health professionals, than a traditional role-play scenario activity.
If you would like to give it a try, we have a few suggestions based on our experience that can be used with most free AI tools (eg, CoPilot, ChatGPT, PerplexityAI)
- Decide on your initial prompt
You might try something like, ‘Can I practise a serious illness conversation with you? I will be the healthcare professional. Can you be the patient? I'd like to talk about recent deterioration in the patient's condition [add condition type] and focus on goals of care.’
- Use either text or voice mode
You can type your side of the conversation or use the AI voice mode. Typing gives you a bit more time and space to consider your answers, while voice mode will provide a more realistic conversation. Choose the mode you are most comfortable with.
- End conversation
When you feel that you have finished what you wanted to practice, you can type or say ‘End conversation’ or make a statement that naturally ends the conversation (e.g., ‘It was good to have this conversation with you. I’ll see you next time’).
- Ask for feedback
Here’s an example of a prompt you can use for this, ‘Can you provide feedback on my questions and responses in this conversation?’ If you are trying to use a specific framework for communication (e.g., SPIKES, PREPARED) then you can ask for feedback that is in line with the relevant framework. If you had a particular goal or something you wanted to improve on, such as demonstrating empathy, then you can ask about this specifically.
A more detailed description of this learning activity is included in our new PalliBytes offering, Communication Activities. This course provides a variety of ways to apply your knowledge of communication in palliative care.
PalliBytes provides focused and interactive palliative care learning opportunities for the health and aged care workforce. Registration provides free access to all learning resources from the Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative – PEPA/IPEPA, PCC4U and PalliBytes. Create your account today at palliativecareeducation.com.au
Authors
Sharon Wetzig
Learning and Development Coordinator
Palliative Care Education & Training Collaborative