What do we know about written assessment of health professionals’ communication skills? A scoping review

Introduction: Health professional education for health literacy has been identified as having the potential to improve patient outcomes and has been recognized as such in policy developments. Health literacy is an emerging concept encompassing individuals’ skills and how health information is processed in relation to the demands and complexities of the surrounding environment. Focus has been predominantly on the dimension of functional health literacy (reading, writing and numeracy), although increasing emphasis has been placed on interactive and critical domains. Such dimensions can guide the development of health professional education programmes and bridge the gap in the interaction between health professionals and their patients. Currently little is known about qualified health professional’s education for health literacy, its development, implementation or evaluation. Aim: To identify and map current educational interventions to improve health literacy competencies and communication skills of qualified health professionals. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted drawing on methods and guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute, and will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. This study will retrieve literature on health professional education for health literacy through a comprehensive search strategy in the following databases: CINAHL; Medline (Ovid); the Cochrane Library; EMBASE; ERIC; UpToDate; PsycINFO and Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Grey literature will be searched within the references of identified articles: Lenus; ProQuest E-Thesis Portal; the HSE health research repository and RIAN. A data charting form will be developed with categories agreed by the research team, including: article details, demographics, intervention details, implementation and evaluation methods. Conclusion: Little is known about the extent and nature of the current evidence base therefore in order to identify programmes and consolidate their demographics and characteristics within health literacy competencies and communication skills, a scoping review is warranted.

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Health literacy education programmes developed for qualified health professionals: a scoping review protocol

HRB Open Research ◽

10.12688/hrbopenres.13386.2 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Lauren Connell ◽

Yvonne Finn ◽

Rosie Dunne ◽

Jane Sixsmith

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Health Professional ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Professional Education ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Literacy Education ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Health Professional Education

Introduction: Health literacy education, for health professionals, has been identified as having the potential to improve patient outcomes and has been recognized as such in policy developments. Health literacy, as a relational concept, encompasses individuals’ skills and how health information is processed in relation to the demands and complexities of the surrounding environment. Focus has been predominantly on the dimension of functional health literacy (reading, writing and numeracy), although increasing emphasis has been placed on interactive and critical domains. Such dimensions often guide the development of health professional education programmes, where the aim is to enhance the patient-practitioner relationship, and ultimately reduce the health literacy burden experienced by patients navigating health services. Currently little is known about qualified health professionals’ education in health literacy and communication skills, and development, implementation or evaluation of such interventions. Aim: To identify and map current educational interventions to improve health literacy competencies and communication skills of qualified health professionals. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted drawing on methods and guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute, and will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. This study will retrieve literature on health professional education for health literacy and communication skills through a comprehensive search strategy in the following databases: CINAHL; Medline (Ovid); the Cochrane Library; EMBASE; ERIC; UpToDate; PsycINFO. Grey literature will be searched within the references of identified articles; Lenus; ProQuest E-Thesis Portal; RIAN and OpenGrey. A data charting form will be developed with categories including: article details, demographics, intervention details, implementation and evaluation methods. Conclusion: Little is known about the extent and nature of the current evidence base therefore a scoping review will be conducted, in order to identify programme characteristics in relation to health literacy competencies and communication skills.

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A Scoping Review of Interventions Aimed at Improving Knowledge, Detection Practices and Management of Dementia among Health Professionals (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20587 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Krishna Krishna Prasad Pathak

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Educational Program ◽

Best Practice ◽

Intervention Studies ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Improving Health Care

BACKGROUND Health professionals (HPs) play a key role in dementia management and detection. However, there is a gap in the literature as to what represents best practice with regard to educating HPs to improve their dementia detection practices and management. OBJECTIVE The objective of this scoping review is to synthesize the aggregated studies aimed at improving health care knowledge, detection practices and management of dementia among HPs. METHODS We searched electronically published relevant articles with inclusion criteria; (1) intervention studies aimed at improving HPs practices concerning dementia care and (2) educational interventions focused on nurses and doctors’ knowledge, detection practice and management of dementia. Twenty-five articles fit the inclusion criteria. RESULTS Collaborative programs of practice based workshops, interactive learning activities with community and multi-faced educational program were the most effective. CONCLUSIONS HPs should be supported to improve their knowledge, tackle behavioural problems associated with dementia, be made aware of services and be enabled to engage in more early diagnosis. CLINICALTRIAL no applicable

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How hospitalized patients evaluate and report their pain together with nurses: A scoping review

Nordic Journal of Nursing Research ◽

10.1177/20571585211013480 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 205715852110134

Author(s):

Bente Dale Malones ◽

Sindre Sylte Kallmyr ◽

Vera Hage ◽

Trude Fløystad Eines

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Pain Assessment ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Post Surgery ◽

Reliable Assessment ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

The Relationship

Pain assessment tools are often used by patients to report their pain and by health professionals to assess patients’ reported pain. Although valid and reliable assessment of pain is essential for high-quality clinical care, there are still many patients who experience inappropriate pain management. The aim of this scoping review is to examine an overview of how hospitalized patients evaluate and report their pain in collaboration with nurses. Systematic searches were conducted, and ten research articles were included using the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. Content analysis revealed four main themes: 1) the relationship between the patient and nurse is an important factor of how hospitalized patients evaluate and report their post-surgery pain, 2) the patient’s feelings of inconsistency in how pain assessments are administered by nurses, 3) the challenge of hospitalized patients reporting post-surgery pain numerically, and 4) previous experiences and attitudes affect how hospitalized patients report their pain. Pain assessment tools are suitable for nurses to observe and assess pain in patients. Nevertheless, just using pain assessment tools is not sufficient for nurses to obtain a comprehensive clinical picture of each individual patient with pain.

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The urgent need to improve health professionals' communication skills

British Journal of Nursing ◽

10.12968/bjon.2021.30.7.448 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 448-449

Author(s):

John Tingle

Keyword(s):

Communication Skills ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Law School ◽

Improve Health

John Tingle, Lecturer in Law, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses some recent reports that consider how health professionals communicate with patients

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Nutrition Care Practices of Dietitians and Oral Health Professionals for Oral Health Conditions: A Scoping Review

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13103588 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 3588

Author(s):

Jessica R. L. Lieffers ◽

Amanda Gonçalves Troyack Vanzan ◽

Janine Rover de Mello ◽

Allison Cammer

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Specific Information ◽

Limited Information ◽

Dietary Analysis ◽

Nutrition Care ◽

Care Practices

Background: Oral health conditions, such as dental caries, pose a substantial burden worldwide. Although there are many risk factors for poor oral health, diet is often implicated as a cause of these issues. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map studies that have captured information on the “real-world” nutrition care practices of oral health professionals (OHPs) and dietitians to optimize oral health, and specifically the dentition and periodontium. Methods: A search of peer-reviewed articles was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Embase. Articles that addressed the review objective and met the following criteria were included: English language, published since 2000, and study conducted in a high-income country. Results: Overall, 70 articles were included. Most articles reported on cross-sectional survey studies and provided self-reported data on OHP practices; few articles reported on dietitians. Most articles reported only general/unspecific information on assessment and intervention practices, such as dietary analysis, nutrition counselling, and diet advice, and lacked specific information about the care provided, such as the dietary assessment tools used, type of information provided, and time spent on these activities. Barriers to the provision of nutrition care by OHPs were common and included time and lack of remuneration. Few studies reported on collaboration between dietitians and OHPs. Conclusions: Several studies have captured self-reported information on nutrition care practices of OHPs related to oral health; however, there is limited information available on the details of the care provided. Few studies have examined the practices of dietitians.

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Importance of Medication Reconciliation as a Strategy for Health Literacy

10.4018/978-1-7998-8824-6.ch013 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 224-237

Author(s):

José Manuel Feliz ◽

Marta Barroca

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Medication Reconciliation ◽

Drug Regimen ◽

Communication Model ◽

Professional Relationship ◽

Patient Health ◽

Model Technique

Health literacy depends on communication skills of health professionals. Assertiveness, clarity, and positivity (ACP) are a communication model/technique very useful to improve the patient-health professional relationship, adherence to treatment, health literacy, and quality of life. This model can be used in medication reconciliation (MR) – the identification of the most precise list of medication that a patient has been taking and should take, which requires a multidisciplinary participation and a better communication between health professionals and between them and the patient. When the guidance from healthcare professionals is clear and effective, patients and caregivers are more compliant to the recommended drug regimen, resulting in better health outcomes.

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Responding and adapting to change: an allied health perspective

Leadership in Health Services ◽

10.1108/lhs-07-2019-0050 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 339-349

Author(s):

Lisa Beasley ◽

Sandra Grace ◽

Louise Horstmanshof

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Change Management ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Change Processes ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Content Type ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

Change Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals. Understanding how individuals respond and adapt to change is essential to assist leaders to manage transformational change effectively. Contemporary health-care environments are characterised by frequent and rapid change, often with unrealistic and challenging time frames. Individuals operate independently, but also as members of teams, professions and organisations. Therefore, having a sound understanding of individual response to change is important for change leaders. In the Australian context, allied health professionals represent a quarter of the health-care workforce. There is a significant gap in understanding how allied health professionals respond and adapt to change. Design/methodology/approach A scoping review was designed to report on the nature and extent of the literature on the response and adaption to change in the context of allied health professionals. Change leaders in the health-care environment face a number of complex challenges when attempting to facilitate change. While this scoping review did not identify any specific literature on the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals, it did however provide information on change models and factors to take into consideration when implementing a change process. Findings The results of this scoping review identified findings in two main areas with regard to response and adaptation of allied health to change: a review of change management literature at the organisation level and change management for allied health. Most of the literature described organisational level change management without providing a structural framework for change. At the professional individual level, the literature focused on specific clinical interventions, rather than on the response and adaption to change for allied health. Minimal literature was identified in regard to the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals. In an environment characterised by continuous change and policy reform, a greater understanding of the response and adaption to change by allied health is a priority for research, policy and practice. Research limitations/implications This scoping review was undertaken to explore the response and adaption to change of allied health. It sought to identify the factors that may explain why certain disciplines within the allied health professional group responded to change differently. Scoping reviews do not set out to comprehensively source all relevant literature but rather to ascertain the nature and extent of the published literature in the field. Therefore, it is possible that a systematic review might uncover additional relevant papers. However, this scoping review provides a clear indication of the nature and extent of the literature in allied health. Practical implications Social implications This scoping review will assist change leaders to gain a better understanding of theoretical frameworks of individual, team and organisational change processes and the impacts these have individually and collectively on change processes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this scoping review is the first of its kind to identify the minimal literature available on the way allied health professionals respond and adapt to change.

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