C.L.E.A.R. Conversations

Communicating effectively, with patients, their families and colleagues is a critical skill that fosters improved understanding and joint purpose. The communication program C.L.E.A.R. ( Connect, Listen, Empathize, Align, Respect) Conversations, was established by a group of Henry Ford physicians in 2012, with the goal of improving conversations between providers and patients.

The program has roots in the Vitaltalk format and accordingly, utilizes highly skilled improvisational actors to create an ideal environment for experiential learning.

Actors and facilitators guide the learner through progressively more complex learning opportunities. Cases are structured to keep participants on their “learning edge” and are practiced in a high-impact, yet safe-to-experiment environment.

This program was created out of an understanding that the paradigm of conversations in health care had to shift away from laying out facts and options to one of eliciting values; the only way providers can learn what is truly important to their patients. Understandably, these discussions can be challenging and require more intense self-knowledge.

Strategies for engaging in these conversations have been formalized as part of the C.L.E.A.R. Conversations curriculum. Though it is understood that there are infinite permutations of these conversations, the skills and roadmaps used to navigate them are specific and are teachable.

Program overview

Two‑session virtual training that teaches clinicians to hold effective, empathetic goals‑of‑care conversations.
Uses the REMAP framework, practiced through videos, demos, drills, and actor‑led case scenarios.
Session 1: Reframing the situation and responding to emotion with empathy.
Session 2: Mapping what matters, aligning with patient values, and planning treatments that fit those values

Approximately 300 trainees (residents and fellows) attend the two-part course during each academic calendar.

The Henry Ford Health C.L.E.A.R. Conversations team members