Improving communication between medical and surgical specialists using interspecialty education strategies: A mixed-methods study

Objective: Poor communication between medical and surgical specialists negatively impacts patient care and represents a serious challenge for medical educators. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of a brief interspecialty education program on perceived communication between medical and surgical specialists at a US medical center. Methods: In 2011, an interspecialty education program (“Diagnosing Prosthetic Joint Infections”) was developed and administered by orthopaedic surgery (OS) and infectious diseases (ID) faculty to members of both divisions. The 60-minute program included a review of diagnostics followed by small mixed-group discussions about optimal diagnostic approaches. Surveys (immediately preand post-intervention) and a focus group (3 months post-intervention) assessed the impact of the program on interspecialty communication and collaboration. Results: Seventeen OS (41% of whom were trainees) and 13 ID (46% trainee) providers participated. Twenty-nine percent of OS and 62% of ID providers were female. Postintervention, the proportion of participants perceiving that “other” specialty providers were often “effective communicators” (p=0.014) and “effective collaborators” (p=0.025) increased. All participants believed interspecialty education would improve communication. Focus group participants perceived that the program improved interspecialty communication, organizational practice, and patient care. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that brief interspecialty education programs can improve communication between medical and surgical specialists and could enhance patient care.