To investigate the effect of a Macy model-based communication training program on doctor-patient communication in critically ill pregnant women.

A prospective study was conducted, involving 198 critically ill pregnant women and 32 healthcare providers admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of our hospital from January 2023 to June 2024. Participants were divided into two groups based on different training periods: a control group (16 healthcare providers and 102 pregnant women, trained from January 2023 to September 2023) and an observation group (16 healthcare providers and 96 pregnant women, trained from October 2023 to June 2024). Medical staff in the control group received conventional doctor-patient communication training, while those in the observation group underwent Macy model-based communication training, focusing on ″eliciting patient perspectives, patient education, and treatment plan negotiation.″ The training outcomes of medical staff in both groups were compared before and after training. Additionally, the satisfaction feedback from the 198 critically ill pregnant women regarding the communication with medical staff after training was compared between the two groups after training.

After the training, the scores of the observation group in ″eliciting and understanding the patient′s perspective, ″ ″shared decision-making, ″ and ″patient education″ were (3.50±0.42), (3.49±0.42), and (3.30±0.56) points, respectively. In comparison, the control group scored (3.11±0.64), (3.02±0.62), and (2.90±0.52) points in the corresponding domains. The post-training scores in these three aspects were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group, with statistically significant differences (t=2.038, 2.094, 2.511; P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups after training in the domains of preparation and assessment, information gathering, patient evaluation, communication during physical examination, and closing the consultation (P>0.05). Moreover, the satisfaction rate of critically ill obstetric patients in the observation group was 93.80%, significantly higher than that in the control group (75.5%), with a statistically significant difference ( χ²=11.245, P<0.05).

The communication training program based on the Macy model effectively enhances the communication skills of healthcare providers, and critically ill pregnant women showed high satisfaction with this communication approach.