Acceptability and efficacy of a communication skills training for nursing students: Building empathy and discussing complex situations

Nutrition in Advanced Disease and End of Life Cancer Care

OBJECTIVES

This paper addresses nutritional challenges in advanced cancer and at the end of life and implications for oncology nursing practice.

METHODS

Recent literature and position statements regarding nutritional support in advanced disease and at the end of life were reviewed and case studies were developed to illustrate the nutritional issues facing patients and family members.

RESULTS

The literature and case examples illustrate the many issues confronting patients, families, and clinicians related to nutritional support including balancing the goals of comfort versus prolonged survival. Patients and families often face difficult decisions regarding the use of medically assisted nutrition and hydration while considering potential burdens and harms. Principles of ethics can be applied in the process of making these decisions.

CONCLUSIONS

Providing nutrition is one of the most important aspects of care provided by families for patients with advanced disease with deep meaning in these relationships, especially at the end of life. Oncology nurses provide valuable guidance in these decisions and offer support to both patients and families to ensure quality of life across the trajectory of cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nurses can apply skills in patient and family caregiver education, communication, and support to help navigate nutritional decisions.

Health professional students' evaluation of video resources to improve their communication skills: A co-design study

BACKGROUND

Effective communication facilitates therapeutic relationships and builds trust, therefore leading to positive consumer health outcomes. There is a greater need for undergraduate health professional students to have authentic learning experiences to build their competence and confidence to develop communication skills.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to explore the learning experiences of health professional students after watching simulated communication videos. The videos were created with consumers to illustrate authentic communication.

DESIGN

A descriptive qualitative co-design study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Second and third year Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics students.

METHODS

Data were collected through group and individual interviews and online questions. Thematic analysis was undertaken.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight students participated in the research, providing insights into how the videos influenced their understanding of communication and consumer partnerships. On a scale one to five, the students gave the videos an average rating of 4.5 Very useful, the video was quite helpful in understanding communication techniques. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data, including: reinforcing learning concepts; navigating communication; authentic learning; and understanding the patient perspective.

CONCLUSIONS

Including consumers in the development of resources enables students to connect theory to practice. Watching genuine conversations and different communication styles, better prepares health professional students to develop effective communication skills for their future practice.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Learning Through a Service Learning Programme with Older Adults Living in Poverty in a High-Income Country: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Living in poverty negatively affects the biopsychosocial health of older adults. Nursing students need to develop competence to promote health and self-care behaviours amongst older adults living in poverty in high-income countries.

AIM

To explore nursing students' perceptions of a service learning programme aimed at promoting health and self-care among older adults living in poverty in a high-income country.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 37 nursing students recruited from a university in Southeastern Spain. Participants completed a service learning programme in which they conducted preventive home visits to older adults living in poverty. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three key themes were developed: (1) service learning as a different way of learning, (2) as an active learning approach to bridge the theory-practice gap, and (3) to provide insight into an unknown side of nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

By providing opportunities for active, experiential learning in real-world contexts, service learning was perceived by the nursing students as a methodology that helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Participating in a service learning programme with older adults living in poverty not only fosters emotional engagement, reflective practice, and the development of essential non-technical skills in nursing students, but it also prepares them to advocate for older adults living in poverty in a high-income country.

Effectiveness of Training in Evidence-Based Practice on the Development of Communicative Skills in Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental Design

BACKGROUND

Communication skills (CSs) and evidence-based practice (EBP) are key foundations for offering personalized and quality nursing care. CS that results in open communication is fundamental for applying EBP.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between the acquisition of EBP competencies and learning CS after taking an EBP course in the nursing degree.

METHODS

Pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental study without a control group. The study population comprised fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. Before and after an EBP course, students completed a questionnaire on CS competence (HP-CSS) and EBP competence (EBP-COQ). The EBP course lasts for 15 weeks, with 150 h of work for the student. Out of these 150 h, 60 are conducted in person, while the remaining 90 h are for independent or group work, utilizing the flipped classroom methodology. Bivariate, correlational, pairwise Student's t-test, and linear regression multivariate analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The sample was composed of 153 students. After completing the EBP course, there was a statistically significant improvement in informative communication (p = 0.046) and assertiveness (p = 0.018). However, there were no observed changes in empathy, respect, and the total score of the CS competence. The results from the multivariate analysis showed that the dimensions of attitude towards EBP and EBP knowledge had a positive relation to three of the four dimensions of the CS and overall competence. Regarding the students' variables and characteristics, admission through special programs for athletes and older students (p < 0.001) and being female (p = 0.004) were positively statistically associated with empathy.

CONCLUSIONS

EBP training positively affects the development of CS in nursing students, as shown by significant improvements in the total scores of the CS and the dimensions of informative communication and assertiveness after the intervention. This study demonstrates the initial applicability and usefulness of an EBP training program for the development of CS in nursing students.

Scoping communication training in undergraduate children's nursing programmes: A mixed method study examining delivery methods and content

AIM

The aim of this study was to scope communication curriculum reported as currently being delivered within undergraduate children's nursing programmes across the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND

Communication between a children's nurse and a child/young person influences a child/young person's healthcare experience. Despite an identified need for a comprehensive and effective communication curriculum within undergraduate nursing, there is a notable gap of understanding of the delivery and content of communication training within children's nursing curricula.

DESIGN

A mixed method, online anonymous self-report survey design was adopted.

METHODS

Programme Leads of undergraduate children's nursing programmes in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom were asked to report on how communication training is delivered to students on undergraduate children's nursing programmes. The Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS) was used for the reporting of this study.

RESULTS

Thirty-two programme leads completed the survey (51 % response rate). Findings show variability in the delivery and content of communication training across Higher Educational Institutions. Core communication modules featured across all nursing programmes, however, only two programme leads reported delivering standalone child-centred communication modules. Communication training was not always delivered by an educator with professional experience of children and young people in healthcare. Curriculum capacity had an impact on the delivery of communication training, with clinical practice being relied on to supplement child specific communication training. Programme leads highlighted the need for greater inclusion of child voice in shaping and delivering undergraduate children's nurse education.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that while communication is covered as a core part of the undergraduate nursing curriculum across the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, it generally lacks a focus on children and young people and is not always supported by educators with professional experience of children and young people in healthcare. More work needs to focus on equipping undergraduate children's nurses with the unique skills needed to communicate effectively with children and young people and incorporate learnings into nursing pedagogy.

Students' core competence performance during fundamental nursing practicum: A cross-sectional survey with importance-performance analysis

AIM

Limited available studies compare the core competence performance of students undertaking their practicum at different level-of-care practicum sites. This study aimed to (1) compare the gaps between the perception of importance for competence and the perceived performance of nursing students at practicum sites involving different level-of-care and (2) identify low competencies that must be prioritized for improvement at different sites during the fundamental nursing practicum.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional design.

METHODS

A total of 659 students who had passed their fundamental nursing practicum within 1 month from six nursing colleges in Taiwan were recruited. The students completed the 25-item Core Competence in Fundamental Nursing Practicum Scale, wherein both the importance and performance level of each item are indicated. One-way analysis of variance along with the Scheffe post hoc test and importance-performance analysis were used to explore the gaps between the perception of importance for competence and the perceived performance and to identify weak competencies that must be prioritized for improvement, respectively.

RESULTS

Compared with nursing students practicing in district hospitals (predominantly caring for chronically ill patients), nursing students practicing in medical centres (predominantly caring for patients with severe and critical conditions) had larger gaps in total scores and the application of nursing processes. Students in medical centres also had larger gaps in professional attitude than their counterparts in long-term care facilities. Importance-performance analysis identified a common shortfall in communication skills among nursing students for all level-of-care practicum sites. Students at long-term facilities had the highest number of weak competencies that required improvement. The results of this study can guide instructors in designing curricular activities focused on the weaker core competencies of the students at a practicum site for each level of care.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contributions.

Technology-based interactive communication simulation addressing challenging communication situations for nursing students

BACKGROUND

Simulation-based interventions for nursing students addressing challenging communication situations involving geriatric patients and end-of-life care are limited.

PURPOSE

This study evaluated the effects of technology-based interactive communication simulations on nursing students' communication knowledge, self-efficacy, skills, compassion, and program satisfaction.

METHOD

A randomized controlled repeated-measures design was used with third- and fourth-year nursing students enrolled in five nursing colleges located in five regions in Korea as participants. Participants were randomly assigned to either a technology-based interactive communication simulation or an attention control group. Changes in communication knowledge, self-efficacy, skills, compassion, and program satisfaction were assessed using three self-reported measures and communication skills were measured by the raters. Statistical analyses included descriptive analyses, chi-square tests, t-tests, and a generalized estimating equation model.

RESULTS

Eighty students participated in one of the two programs, and 77 in the four-week follow-up test. The intervention group indicated significant improvements in communication knowledge, self-efficacy, skills, and compassion, as well as higher program satisfaction compared with the attention control group. Communication skills as assessed by raters also showed significant change at all assessment time points.

CONCLUSION

The technology-based interactive communication simulation program is effective in improving communication skills among nursing students managing geriatric patients and end-of-life care.

Empathy in Nursing Students: A Scoping Review

Purpose: Empathy is essential for nursing students as they progress through their education. To date, few review studies explored empathy in nursing students. This review examined empathy in nursing students, including how to promote empathy, factors contributing to empathy, and the evaluation of empathy. Design: The eligible population included undergraduate nursing students. The concept of interest was empathy related to nursing students. The context was undergraduate nursing programs. Eligible studies included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies. The protocol was registered in Open Science Framework (OSF). Review Methods: Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual guided this scoping review protocol. MEDLINE with Full text (EBSCO), Scopus, ScienceDirect (Elsevier), and PubMed were used for the electronic database search. The findings were analyzed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings: A total of 94 articles were included for analysis. Three main themes emerged: (1) approaches to promoting empathy, (2) contributing factors to empathy, and (3) evaluation of empathy. Conclusions: Empathy is cultivated in nursing in numerous ways, highlighting the need to incorporate it into the nursing curriculum. There is also controversy regarding the relationship between empathy and individual characteristics. This finding highlights the need for more effective empathy-promoting educational training that considers these personal characteristics.

The power of virtual connections: A randomized controlled trial of online positive psychotherapy training on effective communication skills of nursing students

AIM

This research aimed to assess the impact of the online "Positive Psychotherapy- Based Key Model of Courtesy and Integrity" (KMCI)" program on the effective communication skills of nursing students.

BACKGROUND

With the growing integration of virtual platforms in psychotherapy education, there is a burgeoning interest in understanding their influence on nursing student's communication abilities. Recognizing how online positive psychotherapy education shapes these skills is pivotal for enriching nursing education and practice.

DESIGN

The study adopted a pre-test-post-test randomized controlled design and involved 64 undergraduate nursing students from a state university's nursing department during the 2021-2022 academic year, all enrolled in psychiatric nursing courses.

METHODS

Students were divided into experimental and control groups through simple randomization. Pre-tests, encompassing a "Personal Information Form" and an "Effective Communication Skills Scale," were administered to both groups. Subsequently, the experimental group received the "Positive Psychotherapy- Based Key Model of Courtesy and Integrity" program online for five weeks, while no intervention was provided to the control group during this period. Post-tests were then conducted for both groups after five weeks.

RESULTS

The findings revealed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the total scores of sub-dimensions, including "Ego-Enhancing Language, Active Listening, Self-Disclosure and Recognition, Empathy and Self-Language Scale" in the experimental group in both intra-group and inter-group comparisons.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the "Positive Psychotherapy- Based Key Model of Courtesy and Integrity" program effectively enhances practical communication skills among nursing students. Equipping students with the ability to integrate courtesy and integrity isn't effective.

Communication strategies for expressing empathy during family-clinician conversations in the intensive care unit: A mixed methods study

OBJECTIVES

To explore communication strategies intensive care clinicians and patients' family members prefer for expressing empathy during family-clinician conversations.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN

Mixed-methods survey study.

SETTING

Two medical ICUs of a German academic tertiary care hospital.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Using a self-developed online survey with closed and open-ended questions with free-text options, the participants' preferences of communication strategies for expressing empathy were investigated. Quantifiable similarities and differences were determined by statistical analysis. Qualitative themes were derived at by directed content analysis.

FINDINGS

The responses of 94 family members, 42 nurses, and 28 physicians were analysed (response rate: 45.3 %). Four communication strategies were deduced: (1) reassuring the families that the intensive care unit team will not abandon neither them nor the patient, (2) acknowledging emotions and offering support, (3) saying that the families are welcome and cared for in the intensive care unit, (4) providing understandable information. In comparison, the families considered an expression of nonabandonment as more empathic than the physicians did (p =.031,r = 0.240), and those expressions focussing solely on the family members' well-being (p =.012,r = 0.228) or comprising evaluative wording ("good", "normal") (p =.017,r = 0.242) as less empathic than the nurses did. Unanimously advocated nonverbal communication strategies included to listen attentively and to avoid interrupting as well as being approachable and honest.

CONCLUSION

The participants' preferences supported expert recommendations and highlighted that it is not only important what the clinicians say but also how they say it. Further research is needed to elucidate ways of successfully expressing empathy during family-clinician conversations in the intensive care unit.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

Intensive care unit clinicians are encouraged to practice active listening and to express their caring and nonabandonment. It is further suggested to reflect on and adjust pertinent nonverbal behaviours and relational aspects of their communication, as applicable.

Implementing a cancer survivorship seminar course to non-healthcare professional undergraduate students

BACKGROUND

At University of California, Irvine (UCI), a seminar course focused on cancer survivorship was developed and offered to non-healthcare professional undergraduate students. Utilizing the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) framework, this study was designed to examine the impact on students who have taken this course, and to clarify the value of this course for undergraduate students.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey. Undergraduate students enrolled in the Life After Cancer Freshmen Seminar course (Uni Stu 3) at UCI between 2021 and 2023 were invited to participate. The survey consisted of 4 main sections: (1) demographics, (2) knowledge of cancer survivorship, (3) attitude towards cancer survivorship, and (4) perception and awareness of cancer survivorship. The survey was administered prior to the implementation of the course, and the same survey was administered at the end of the course.

RESULTS

A total of 33 students completed the pre-implementation survey and 30 students completed the post-implementation survey. Comparing pre- and post-course implementation, there was an increase of perception and awareness of (i) resources and guidelines for cancer survivors (pre, 9.1% vs. post, 36.7%), (ii) mental health complications among cancer survivors (pre, 36.4% vs. post, 56.7%), (iii) benefits of cancer survivorship care (pre, 15.2% vs. post, 40%), latest research in cancer survivorship (pre, 0% vs. post, 23.3%), and (iv) tailoring survivors' needs according to their age groups (pre, 24.2% vs. post, 66.7%). Knowledge and attitude towards caring of cancer survivors were similar comparing pre- and post-course implementation.

CONCLUSION

In an undergraduate seminar course focused on cancer survivorship, we observed an improvement of non-healthcare students' perception and awareness of cancer survivorship-related issues, advocating the value on introducing highly prevalent cancer survivorship topics early to both undergraduate STEM and non-STEM students.

Supporting the support person: Oncologists' roles in reducing support people's uncertainty and facilitating psychological adjustment

OBJECTIVE

Support people of cancer patients are at significant risk for psychological distress. Additionally, cancer patients' well-being is reciprocally associated with support peoples' psychological well-being. Informed by Uncertainty in Illness Theory, this study tests whether support person psychological well-being is influenced by provider communication and uncertainty reduction.

METHODS

We tested a multiple mediation model to investigate how empathic communication facilitates psychological adjustment in support people of cancer patients and how this process is mediated by support peoples' illness uncertainty and caregiver burden. Support people of cancer patients (N = 121; including spouses, adult children, etc.) completed an online questionnaire about their perceptions of oncologists' empathy, uncertainty about the cancer patients' illness, perceived caregiving burden, and their psychological adjustment to diagnoses.

RESULTS

Path analysis revealed that (1) more perceived oncologist empathy was associated with less illness uncertainty, (2) more illness uncertainty was associated with worse psychological adjustment and more perceived caregiver burden, and (3) more burden was associated with worse adjustment (χ2 (2) = 1.19, p = 0.55; RMSEA < 0.01; CFI = 1.00; SRMR = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Given the reciprocal nature of well-being between cancer patients and their support people, it is critical to understand and bolster support people's psychological well-being. Results demonstrated how empathic provider communication can support psychological well-being for support people of cancer patients. Additionally, this study offers theoretical contributions to understandings of illness uncertainty in caregiver populations.

Understanding the communication skills that support nurses to provide person-centred care

Communication is a process of sharing information and developing relationships through interaction. It is essential for nursing care, providing a basis for nurses to establish therapeutic relationships and trust with patients and their families. It is often assumed that nurses can intuitively communicate well; as a result, traditionally there has been a lack of formal training in this area. However, communication is a skill that can be developed and enhanced. This article explains the elements of communication and discusses the skills required by nurses to communicate effectively and provide compassionate, person-centred care. The author outlines two communication models to demonstrate how nurses can use these skills to deliver bad news and support people in distress.

The chain mediating effect of empathy and communication ability on emotional intelligence and caring ability of nursing students

Background

The implementation of humanistic care is conducive to providing high quality nursing, improving patient satisfaction and establishing harmonious nursery-patient relationship. Current researchs show that humanistic caring ability is affected by emotional intelligence, empathy, interpersonal communication. But the exact relationship and internal mechanism of such factors have not been fully understood.

Objective

To explore the multiple mediating effect of empathy and communication ability on nursing students' emotional intelligence and caring ability.

Methods

A case study was conducted by examining a sample of 1,165 nursing students from a junior college in Anhui, China. The multidimensional scales, and a self-designed demographic characteristics questionnaire were utilized. Path relationships and mutual effects were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results

Emotional intelligence, empathy, and communication ability were found to positively affect nursing students' caring ability, as well as positive interrelationships with one another (standardized estimate = 0.312-0.584, p < 0.001). Communication ability and empathy play an important role in mediating the association between emotional intelligence and caring ability, and the effect sizes are 0.169 and 0.121, respectively, while the effect value of empathy and communication ability in emotional intelligence and caring ability was 0.034, which showed partial mediation of the association. The indirect effect of the structural equation was 77.14%.

Conclusion

The chain mediating role of empathy and communication ability in emotional intelligence and caring ability is explored, which not only enrichis previous studies, but also reveals the mechanism of emotional intelligence's influence on caring ability. It is essential to continuously improve nursing students' caring ability. From the perspective of nursing educators, they need to develop targeted approaches to help the nursing student improve their emotional intelligence, empathy, and communication skills, further enhancing their caring ability.

Nursing students satisfaction and self-confidence with standardized patient palliative care simulation focusing on difficult conversations

OBJECTIVES

Lack of experience communicating with patients and families at the end of life are key concerns for nursing students. Palliative care simulation using standardized patients (SPs) focusing on difficult conversations may lead to increased self-confidence in providing palliative and end-of-life care in clinical practice. There is currently a paucity of research on SP palliative care simulations in undergraduate nursing education. The objective of this research was to assess 3rd year undergraduate nursing students' levels of satisfaction and self-confidence with palliative and end-of-life care simulations focusing on difficult conversations, as measured by the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale (SSSCLS) and the Simulation Design Scale (SDS).

METHODS

A descriptive post-intervention study. Four palliative care simulation days, consisting of 2 clinical scenarios, were conducted over 4 weeks. The first simulation was an outpatient palliative care clinic scenario, and the second was an inpatient hospital scenario. Nursing students enrolled in a 3rd year nursing palliative care elective (n = 51) at an Australian university were invited to participate. Students who attended simulation days were eligible to participate (n = 31). Immediately post-simulation, students were invited to complete the SSSCLS and the SDS. Fifty-seven surveys were completed (simulation 1, n = 28; simulation 2, n = 29). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Results showed that students had high levels of self-confidence in developing palliative care and communication skills after both simulation experiences and high levels of satisfaction with the SP simulations.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The lack of published literature on palliative care and end-of-life SP simulation highlights the need to collect further evidence to support this as an innovative approach to teaching palliative care. SP palliative care simulation focusing on difficult conversations assists in developing students' communication skills and improves satisfaction and self-confidence with palliative and end-of-life care.

Palliative Care Clinician Perspectives on Person-Centered End-of-Life Communication for Racially and Culturally Minoritized Persons with Cancer

The aim of this study was to examine interdisciplinary clinicians' perceptions of priorities in serious illness communication and shared decision-making with racially and culturally minoritized persons at end of life. Clinicians (N = 152) read a detailed case study about a patient self-identifying as Black and American Indian who describes mistrust of the healthcare system. Participants then responded to three open-ended questions about communication strategies and approaches they would employ in providing care. We conducted a thematic analysis of participants' responses to questions using an iterative, inductive approach. Interdisciplinary clinicians from nursing (48%), social work (36%), and chaplaincy (16%), responded to the study survey. A total of four themes emerged: (1) person-centered, authentic, and culturally-sensitive care; (2) pain control; (3) approaches to build trust and connection; and (4) understanding communication challenges related to racial differences. Significant efforts have been made to train clinicians in culturally inclusive communication, yet we know little about how clinicians approach "real world" scenarios during which patients from structurally minoritized groups describe care concerns. We outline implications for identifying unconscious bias, informing educational interventions to support culturally inclusive communication, and improving the quality of end-of-life care for patients with cancer from minoritized groups.

Construction of a nurses' interpersonal communication knowledge system: A Delphi study

BACKGROUND

Effective communication is essential for nursing students to provide safe patient care. Many communication consensuses focus on physician-associated communication rather than nurses' interpersonal communication. However, studies on developing a systematic and comprehensive communication knowledge system for nursing students are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the teaching content and teaching framework of nurses' interpersonal communication, construct a systematic and scientific knowledge system for interpersonal communication among nursing students and provide a theoretical basis for the training of nurses on interpersonal communication.

METHODS

Based on the literature review and comparative research, this study explored the theoretical basis and basic principles of constructing an interpersonal communication knowledge system for nurses. Moreover, a correspondence questionnaire on nurses' interpersonal communication knowledge systems was initially constructed to clarify the related teaching content and structure. Finally, the Delphi method was used to establish the index of the nurses' interpersonal communication knowledge system according to the principle of expert selection and inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The Delphi method included 26 experts from nursing education, clinical nursing, nursing management and other fields for consultation. The effective response rate of the letter inquiry was 96.3 % in the first round and 100 % in the second round. The judgment basis, familiarity and authority coefficient of expert consultation were 0.907, 0.862 and 0.884, respectively. In the two rounds of inquiry, the coordination coefficients of the total questionnaire were 0.228 and 0.302, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Thereafter, a wheeled model of nurses' interpersonal communication knowledge system with 3 primary indicators, 13 secondary indicators and 58 tertiary indicators was constructed, which included professional ethics and attitude, communication knowledge and communication skills.

CONCLUSION

Literature and comparative research methods along with Delphi expert consultation were used to construct a scientific and systematic knowledge system of nurses' interpersonal communication. The research methods were feasible, and the results were scientific and reliable, thereby providing a basis for the education of nurses' interpersonal communication among nurses and the compilation of related teaching materials in China and globally. Furthermore, special attention should be paid to the comprehensive cultivation of nursing students' professional ethics and attitude, communication knowledge and communication skills.

Geriatrics communication skills training program for oncology healthcare providers to improve the management of care for older adults with cancer

Objective

We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a novel intervention, the Geriatric Communication Skills Training Program (Geriatric Comskil Training) for multidisciplinary healthcare providers (HCPs).

Methods

Three 2-h modules comprised the training: Geriatrics 101, Cognitive Syndromes, and Shared Decision-Making. Modules consisted of didactic knowledge, exemplary videos, and experiential learning role plays with standardized patients. We collected pre- and post-training data from 11 HCPs (module evaluations, self-efficacy, communication skills uptake in interaction with standardized patients, perceived ageism) and 44 patients (perceived HCP empathy, satisfaction with HCP communication).

Results

HCPs rated all modules high, with over 90% agreement on all course evaluation items assessing involvement, critical thinking, and reflectiveness, and significant improvements in self-efficacy. HCPs demonstrated an uptake in communication skills from pre- to post-training in agenda setting and overall skill use and reported promising trends towards lower ageism scores (d = 0.58). Promising trends in patient-reported HCP empathy (d = 0.39) and satisfaction with communication (d = 0.29) emerged from pre- to post-training.

Conclusion

Continued efforts are needed to strengthen HCP education related to geriatric communication across the cancer continuum.

Innovation

The Geriatric Comskil Training demonstrated feasibility, acceptability, and increases in self-efficacy and communication skills uptake for HCPs.

Child- and family-specific communication skills trainings for healthcare professionals caring for families with parental cancer: A systematic review

Introduction

As part of high-quality cancer care, healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a significant role in identifying and addressing specific needs of cancer patients parenting minor children. However, HCPs experience various barriers to adequately support parents with cancer. This systematic review explores current CSTs incorporating child- and family- specific modules for HCPs in oncology. Moreover, outcome measures and effectiveness of trainings are systematically investigated.

Methods

The systematic review was registered within PROSPERO (registration code: CRD42020139783). Systematic searches were performed in four databases (PubMed, Cinahl, PsycInfo, Web of Science) in 12/2020, including an update in 12/2021 and 08/2022. Quantitative, primary studies fulfilling the pre-defined inclusion criteria were included. Due to the expected heterogeneity a meta-analysis was not conducted. Study selection and quality assessment were conducted by two independent researchers, data extraction by one. Study quality was assessed using an adapted version of the National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool for pre-post studies without control group.

Results

Nine studies were included in this review following an experimental pre-post design only. Two CSTs were specifically designed to improve communication with cancer patients parenting minor children, the remaining seven incorporated a brief family module only. Seven programs were face-to-face trainings, one an e-learning and one a webinar. Eight studies found at least one statistically significant improvement in communication after training. However, quality of most studies was fair.

Conclusion

This is the first review exploring specific CSTs for HCPs caring for cancer patients parenting minor children. As only two CSTs focused on parental cancer, evidence on the effectiveness of such CSTs is limited. Existing CSTs should be evaluated properly and include details on content of family modules. Further studies including and evaluating specific CSTs focusing on parental cancer are needed in order to strengthen HCPs’ competencies to meet specific needs of patients parenting minor children.

Self-disclosure, empathy and anxiety in nurses

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-disclosure, empathy, and anxiety in nurses.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study was conducted with 255 nurses working in hospitals in Turkey. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Form, the Self-Disclosure Scale (SDS), the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

FINDINGS

A statistically significant positive relationship was found among the SDS, BES, and Spielberger STAI.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Psychiatric nurses should ensure the reduction of nurses' anxiety levels by planning different interventions such as psychotherapy, counseling, and training. They may determine nurses' self-disclosure and empathy skills as well as their needs.

Compassionate communication levels of nursing students: Predictive role of empathic skills and nursing communication course

PURPOSE

This study aims to determine the compassionate communication levels of nursing students and the predictive roles of empathic skills and nursing communication courses.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive study was conducted with 430 nursing students and data were analyzed using a descriptive information form, Compassionate Communication Scale (CCS), and Empathic Skill Scale (ESS).

FINDINGS

A positive relationship was found between the students' ESS and CCS scores (r = .23 p = 0.001). Empathic skills (β = 0.43, p = 0.001), predicted compassionate communication (β = 0.23, p = 0.001), compassionate conversation (β = 0.43, p = 0.001), and compassionate touch (β = 0.18, p = 0.001).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Skills of compassion and empathy positively affect each other; therefore, it is important to adopt strategies that strengthen the empathic skills of nursing students during academic education and to include empathy and compassion in the curriculum.

Efficacy of a Standardised Patient Simulation Programme for Chronicity and End-of-Life Care Training in Undergraduate Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

Standardised patient simulations seem to be useful for improving the communication skills of health sciences students. However, it is important to define the effectiveness of these types of interventions in complex scenarios linked to disease chronicity and end-of-life contexts.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-intervention measures was carried out in a single group. A total of 161 nursing students completed different assessment instruments to measure their attitudes towards communication (Attitude Toward Communication Scale), self-efficacy (Self-Efficacy of Communication Skills, SE-12), and communication skills (Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale, EHC-PS) before and after simulation training with standardised patients. The objective of the program was to train students in non-technical skills for complex situations involving chronicity and end-of-life care. It comprised eight sessions lasting 2.5 h each.

RESULTS

The results showed notable baseline gender differences in attitudes towards communication and in the informative communication dimension, with women obtaining higher scores. The participants' self-efficacy and communication skills significantly improved after completing the intervention, with no significant differences being found for the attitudes towards communication variable.

CONCLUSION

The standardised patient simulation programme for complex scenarios related to chronicity and end-of-life contexts improved communication self-efficacy and communication skills in these nursing students. In future work it will be important to analyse the influence of gender and attitudes towards communication as variables in the learning of communication skills in nursing students.

Student nurse perceptions of an innovative role to support clinical practices during a pandemic: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems needed to quickly identify personnel to provide symptom screening and PPE observations. Through an established academic-practice partnership, pre-licensure nursing students were able to fill this new Patient Services Aid role. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the students' experiences in this mutually beneficial innovative role.

METHODS

Electronic surveys and qualitative focus groups were used to evaluate the students' experiences.

RESULTS

A total of 34 students were employed at the health system as PSAs. Focus groups (n = 16) analysis showed that, while the role was not a substitute for academic clinical experiences, they did improve the students' confidence in the clinical setting and helped teach necessary non-technical skills. Students appreciated the ability to network with multiple disciplines while working as PSAs.

CONCLUSIONS

This role was developed to assist with immediate COVID-19 needs; however, this model of using pre-licensure students in non-clinical roles can improve students' non-technical skills and confidence in the clinical setting. The success of the activity was due to the strong relationships between the School of Nursing and health system. Other schools of nursing could benefit from developing collaborative partnerships with local healthcare systems.

Psychometric properties of the Attitudes towards Medical Communication Scale in nursing students

BACKGROUND

Adequate communication skills in healthcare professionals are one of the key elements required for achieving high-quality healthcare. Thus, measurement instruments able to assess the dimensions related to these skills, including attitudes towards communication, are useful and convenient tools.

OBJECTIVES

To (a) cross-culturally adapt and validate a scale to measure attitudes towards communication in a sample of nursing students in the Spanish environment; (b) describe the perceived attitudes of nursing degree students towards communication.

METHODS

We conducted an instrumental study. First, we adapted the scale by applying a standardised linguistic validation procedure. After that, we determined its structural equivalence and evaluated its psychometric properties.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 255 students participated; their average age was 22.66 years (SD = 4.75) and 82% were female.

RESULTS

The internal consistency of the scale was adequate (0.75), and the data fit well with the model (CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.99; RMSEA = .01 95% CI [.00-.05]). The overall instrument score poorly correlated with the self-efficacy in communication skills variable.

CONCLUSIONS

The attitudes towards communication scores for these nursing students were high. The Spanish version of the Attitudes Towards Health Communication scale had adequate psychometric properties and this tool could quickly and easily be applied to assess the attitudes of health profession students.

Communication Styles Inventory-Brief: Adaptation and validation for Spanish nursing

Healthcare attention is sometimes considered purely technical, but communication has proven to be closely related to clinical results and patient satisfaction. Therefore, evaluation of communication in the scope of healthcare is a priority. The purpose of this study was to validate and adapt the Spanish version of the Communication Styles Inventory in a sample of nursing professionals. The sample was made up of 2313 nursing professionals selected at random from various medical centres in Spain, and is therefore a sample actively employed at the time data were acquired. We started out from the Communication Style Inventory, a questionnaire for evaluating the predominance of certain individual communication behaviours on six scales (expressiveness, preciseness, verbal aggressiveness, questioningness, emotionality and impression manipulativeness). Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the model proposed showed god fit indices. The reliability of the model shown by the Cronbach's alpha of α = 0.81 was adequate, and so was single-level and aggregate consistency. Finally, in the analysis of variance by type of contract, configural, metric and scalar invariance was acceptable, but not strict invariance. This instrument progresses in measuring non-technical attributes, such as communication styles, in nursing personnel.

The effect of peer support approach on communication skills of nursing students in pediatric clinical setting

Peer support is a valuable teaching-learning approach to enhance deep learning in the clinical environment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of peer support on the communication skills of undergraduate nursing students when interacting with hospitalized children and their parents. This was a pre-and post-test quasi-experimental study with two groups. Through the cluster random sampling method, six practical groups of students who undertook a 3-week pediatric practicum were selected. Three groups were allocated to the experimental (n = 51) and control groups (n = 52). Two volunteer post-graduate students in pediatric nursing formed the peer group. First, the peers participated in three 45-min sessions using different scenarios about communication skills. They then tutored the intervention group to improve their communication skills. The communication skills with 5 children and 5 parents were observed for each undergraduate student via the checklist. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher mean scores of the communication skills than the control groups in post-test (P < 0.001). Moreover, the mean scores of communication skills was significantly higher in post-test than pre-test in both the experimental and control groups (p < 0.001). Peer support approach promoted the communication skills of undergraduate nursing students in pediatric clinical setting.