{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T05:06:11Z","timestamp":1789103171827,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100024143","name":"Association of Pediatric Program Directors","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["UL 1 TR001085 from NIH\/NCRR"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UL 1 TR001085 from NIH\/NCRR"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100024143","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["UL 1 TR001085 from NIH\/NCRR"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UL 1 TR001085 from NIH\/NCRR"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/053gt7v47","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behav. Sci.","Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Parents of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) frequently experience significant emotional distress, yet neonatology fellows receive limited training in psychosocial support. This study evaluates the use of online standardized-patient simulation to improve fellows\u2019 communication skills addressing parent concerns. Fellows (n = 13) completed two virtual interactions with standardized parents, with feedback from a neonatal mental health professional (NMHP), a former NICU parent, and a neonatologist using narrative comments and the Gap\u2013Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Scale. Narrative data underwent thematic analysis, and a within-subjects, repeated measures ANOVA examined communication ratings; knowledge and self-efficacy scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests. Communication scores differed significantly across raters (F(2, 24) = 6.2, p &lt; 0.007). Fellow and faculty ratings were comparable (p = 0.37), whereas parent ratings exceeded fellow self-ratings (p = 0.005). NMHPs and parents identified more thematic codes than fellows (22\/26 and 25\/26 vs. 15\/26), highlighting information delivery, mental health, relationship building, and communication. Fellows\u2019 self-efficacy decreased after participation, (t(12) = 2.88, p = 0.02, d = 0.83). This decline, alongside positive feedback on the simulation\u2019s relevance, reflects increased recognition of the complexity of addressing parental distress and underscores the need for ongoing training and real-world application. This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility of using online simulation to train neonatology fellows in communication strategies that support the psychosocial needs of NICU parents.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16091600","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T08:05:43Z","timestamp":1788941143000},"page":"1600","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluation of a Telesimulation Program to Support Psychosocial Communication Training for Neonatology Fellows"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3285-1921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daphne O.","family":"Darmawan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7183-6743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Virginia A.","family":"Marchman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Stanford University and Department of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"validation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Katarina","family":"Scala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0755-7517","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"LaTrice L.","family":"Dowtin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PlayfulLeigh Psyched, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0164-7290","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Weichen","family":"Ling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1260-2119","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shannon G.","family":"Hanson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Miller","family":"Shivers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Traci S.","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, East Point, GA 30344, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Keira","family":"Sorrells","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"NICU Parent Network, Georgetown, IN 47122, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2135-476X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elisa B.","family":"Fuller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Secure Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90019, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3766-2895","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sue","family":"Hall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent 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