First Meeting of I-REP Panel Provides Valuable Input for Investigators

Thirteen members of the newly formed I-REP Patient & Caregiver Panel met virtually for its first official feedback session on January 30, 2024.

The session agenda included discussion of a new surgical trainee curriculum called the Fundamentals of Communication in Surgery (FCS). The curriculum was developed by Gretchen Schwarze, MD, at the University of Wisconsin, and her team—Erin Strong, MD; Muneera Kapadia, MD; and Courtney Morgan, MD. It seeks to improve the listening and empathy skills of young surgeons in order to enhance communication with patients so that they understand the risks of a given surgical procedure and feel well-informed and comfortable with procedures they are facing.

Panel members provided feedback based on their personal interactions with surgeons and surgical teams during their own injury experience. They were quite supportive of the curriculum, emphasizing the need for effective communication.

Michelle Price, PhD, CNTR executive director, then presented a proposal related to the concept of Exception from Informed Consent (EFIC). Dr. Rachel Applebaum, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center, developed the proposal following an Injury Research Engagement Project (I-REP) finding that EFIC is not well understood and difficult to explain, particularly when family members are distressed and distracted in the midst of a traumatic event.

The patients and caregivers on the panel gave feedback related to how surgeons should communicate with patients.

The next quarterly session of the I-REP Patient & Caregiver Panel is scheduled for May 2, 2024, 6:00-7:15 p.m. CST. To apply to present your study for patient feedback, email Research@Nattrauma.org and put “IREP Panel” in the subject line.