{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T16:10:22Z","timestamp":1788970222313,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":251,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001711","name":"Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur F\u00f6rderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PCEFP1_194177"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PCEFP1_194177"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001711","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Pall Supp Care"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S1478951526103289_sec1a\">\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The aim of this study was to examine how Swiss palliative care (PC) clinicians learn key communication skills, their perceived proficiency and comfort, and how often they perform different communication tasks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S1478951526103289_sec2b\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Between October and November 2021, we surveyed Swiss PC clinicians on 22 communication tasks via an online survey.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S1478951526103289_sec3c\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Of 242 respondents, 231 provided complete data. Participants were mostly nurses (64%), female (79%), and on average 50\u00a0years old. Most reported learning communication through practice (89%) or observation (70%). Overall, perceived proficiency was moderate to high and slightly higher than comfort, but both varied considerably across tasks. Highest scores were for explaining PC and discussing physical symptoms, while lowest were for addressing spirituality and supporting patients who are parents in communicating with their children. Training showed moderate positive associations with perceived proficiency and comfort, though some tasks (e.g., prognosis, spirituality, and dying phase) were unrelated to training. Perceived proficiency and comfort were strongly correlated and both increased with experience. Physicians reported higher scores in illness-related discussions, whereas nurses reported more training in emotional and spiritual communication.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S1478951526103289_sec4d\">\n                    <jats:title>Significance of the results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PC clinicians showed strong communication competence, but gaps remain in emotionally complex areas. Integrating technical, emotional, spiritual and family-centered communication training into core curricula may enhance care quality, and clinicians\u2019 confidence and satisfaction. Strengthening experiential learning, reflective practice, and skills for managing emotionally demanding conversations may improve clinicians\u2019 comfort and preparedness. Tailored training for nurses and physicians could optimize communication quality and support sustainable PC practice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1017\/s1478951526103289","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T15:23:51Z","timestamp":1788967431000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Palliative care clinicians\u2019 communication competence: A cross-sectional survey linking perceived proficiency and comfort, training, and practice of key communication tasks"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0358-9258","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Staeck","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02k7v4d05","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Bern"},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02k7v4d05","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Bern"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martina","family":"Egloff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01q9sj412","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Inselspital University Hospital Bern"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0918-9722","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sofia C.","family":"Zambrano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02k7v4d05","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Bern"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"S1478951526103289_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-023-04633-2"},{"key":"S1478951526103289_ref26","unstructured":"Iris, L , Elke, S and Renate Gurtner, V (2021) Modell Bildungsabschl\u00fcsse Palliativpflege Schweiz. 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