Physician Communication Modules

The ABIM Foundation funded the Drexel University College of Medicine to develop a set of interactive instructional modules to enhance physician and patient communication around the specialty society recommendations from the Choosing Wisely campaign. Developed in collaboration with nine medical specialty societies, these modules are designed to help physicians, patients and other health care stakeholders think and talk about overuse of health care resources by providing strategies for physicians to build trust and address patient attitudes and beliefs that more care is not always better care.

Modules

• ABIM Foundation*
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American College of Cardiologists
• American College of Physicians
• American College of Radiology
• American Gastrointestinal Association
• American Society of Nephrology
• American Society of Nuclear Cardiology

The Choosing Wisely communication modules are available to all users free of charge and are not intended for commercial use.

How to Navigate the Modules

To navigate through each specialty society module*, click the menu on the left of the module page, going from top to bottom. Each society module contains:

1. A welcome message from the society
2. The selection criteria for their Choosing Wisely recommendations
3. A pretest poll to determine how often physicians adhere to the recommendations
4. A video message from former ABIM Foundation CEO Christine Cassel, MD, about Choosing Wisely
5. An introduction to the campaign
6. The rationale for the campaign
7. The learning goals of the module(s)
8. The key principles behind the module(s)
9. Select references that informed the format and content of the module(s)
10. A description of the key skills that the modules aim to teach
11. Video and talking points on the benefits of providing patients with clear information
12. Video and talking points on how to elicit patient concerns and beliefs
13. Video and talking points on how to provide empathy, partnership and legitimation
14. Video and talking points on how to confirm agreement/overcome barriers
15. A video example of a physician-patient encounter that incorporates all key communication skills
16. Select references that informed each key skill
17. The specialty society’s five recommendations
18. A post-test poll to determine if physicians will change their practice after completing the module and reading the society’s recommendations
19. A link to patient-friendly hand-outs to facilitate conversations with patients

*The ABIM Foundation’s module was designed for any physician to complete, regardless of their specialty. It contains sections 1 through 16 listed above.