scholarly journals Attaining Communicative Competency in Pharmacy Practice: A Retrospective Analysis of the Construction of a Communication Course for International Pharmacy Graduates

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Mickleborough ◽  
Colette Peters
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
International Health ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Standards Of Practice ◽  
International Pharmacy

<p class="2M-body">The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill required by licensed pharmacists and it plays an integral role in meeting standards of practice. Acquiring the communication skills needed to successfully complete these standards of practice can be particularly challenging for International Pharmacy Graduates, or IPGs, many of whom are second language learners. This paper retrospectively analyses the construction of a communication course for IPGs, viewed through the theories of Lev Vygotsky and Donald Schön, which assists the IPGs in developing their communication skills for the Canadian context and applying them in increasingly independent ways. Course satisfaction surveys from two IPG cohorts were reviewed for qualitative feedback that would discuss the students’ appreciation for the course design in relation to their learning. In general, students appreciated the learning supports in the first half of the course, but had more difficulty with the second half of the course that was designed to create a level of ambiguity that mimicked real life pharmacy practice. The authors felt more research is needed in this area of instruction design; however, this unique course design could have future implications for teaching communicative competency for international health care professionals.</p>

scholarly journals Acquisition of academic literacy in an Engineering communication course: Integration of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merina Devira
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Literacy Practice ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Text Type ◽  
Engineering Communication

This study investigated academic literacy practices by an EFL student at an Engineering Communication course in the University of Adelaide, Australia. It focused on finding a description of engineering written communication skills designed in the specific course and investigating the student’s response in the construction of a specific text type in the engineering community. A qualitative case study method was used where the data were taken from classroom observations, the student’s interviews, his writings, and other supporting data, such as a course booklet and several PowerPoint slides. The findings showed that working in a group discussion at the workshop sessions was perceived as the most useful academic literacy practice in acquiring engineering communication skills. It also revealed that academic literacy practices, such as accessing MyUni, using databases for a specific discipline, recognising graphic skills and using effective reading strategies were considered by him as new and useful practices in an academic culture which helped him execute written engineering communication assignments into a cohesive and coherent argumentative text. Overall, although he had different perceptions before and after completion of the course, he viewed the course design positively. Some ideas on how the course developers or tutors could match the course design with his practical needs were offered, such as mutual collaboration with the English lecturers who were providing the course and the implementation of a program of academic English for first year students.

Improving Communication Skills in Health Care

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Lynda Katz Wilner ◽  
Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
International Medical Graduate ◽  
Medical Graduate ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Accent Modification

Hospital reimbursements are linked to patient satisfaction surveys, which are directly related to interpersonal communication between provider and patient. In today’s health care environment, interactions are challenged by diversity — Limited English proficient (LEP) patients, medical interpreters, International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians, nurses, and support staff. Accent modification training for health care professionals can improve patient satisfaction and reduce adverse events. Surveys were conducted with medical interpreters and trainers of medical interpreting programs to determine the existence and support for communication skills training, particularly accent modification, for interpreters and non-native English speaking medical professionals. Results of preliminary surveys suggest the need for these comprehensive services. 60.8% believed a heavy accent, poor diction, or a different dialect contributed to medical errors or miscommunication by a moderate to significant degree. Communication programs should also include cultural competency training to optimize patient care outcomes. Examples of strategies for training are included.

scholarly journals OP0319-PARE SEE ME HEAR ME: AN ANCA-ASSOCIATED VASCULITIS PATIENT CO-CREATION INITIATIVE

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 196.1-197
Author(s):  
S. Perera ◽  
D. Krafcsik ◽  
P. Rutherford
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Calcium Pyrophosphate ◽  
Small Vessel Vasculitis ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Online Platform ◽  
Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease ◽  
Anca Associated Vasculitis ◽  
Patient Association

Background:ANCA-associated Vasculitis (AAV) is a rare, severe small vessel vasculitis that affects multiple organs with a high acute mortality risk. As every patient presents differently, diagnosis is often delayed. Although treatments exist, responses vary, and remission is often not achieved or sustained. From the time of initial diagnosis onwards, patients suffer from an impaired quality of life. Coping with pain, fatigue, ongoing symptoms and combating challenges becomes a complex task and patients may be challenged in how best to communicate these emotions with health care professionals. We aimed to develop an initiative with Art and Voice, that would seek to empower people living with AAV and their carers in feeling understood, seen and heard in a meaningful way. This would invite a collective understanding of ‘how people make sense of key life experiences and what it means to them’ by creating a common language to address poorly addressed issues.Objectives:This project aims to provide a voice to patients to express personal experiences and complexity of everyday living and empower people to feel in control of their own health through an online platform. It should also allow practitioners to gain new awareness about issues faced by their patients, to better understand the relationships between caring and curing, hearing and listening.Methods:We collaborated with 10 patient association groups representatives, 17 AAV patients and 9 of their carers across 7 European countries. A series of workshops were set up to discuss issues faced and aid the subsequent production of a range of materials designed to provide clear, comprehensive content that would help individuals cope with the physical and emotional impact of AAV from diagnosis to living with it. This work was supported by a digital artist who is a rheumatologist living with vasculitis.Results:The co-creation of patient information materials featuring real life patients was successful and led to the development of a creative initiative called SEE ME.HEAR ME with an online platformwww.myancavasculitis.com. This includes: (1) an awareness programme featuring artwork created by the digital artist and advised by the patients which captures the essence of AAV from the patients view (see Figure). (2) a series of first-hand patient and carer stories capturing their authentic voice on ‘what it is like to live with the disease’. (3) extensive written content designed to fill information gaps around AAV diagnosis, investigations and treatment and what to expect during clinical follow up. The platform supports patients in asking questions and seeking information while signposting them to their own healthcare professional for advice and their local country patient association for support.Table 1.Sensitivities and specificities of examinations in gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition diseaseConclusion:People with AAV need support throughout life, the profound psychosocial influence from illness makes the lived experience, challenging. SEE ME. HEAR ME online patient platform aims to generate awareness around AAV, improve physician and patient dialog, and enhance people’s experiences of living and coping with the disease. In addition it provides support for carers and giving valuable insights to friends, family and the general public about what the lived experience with AAV looks like.Acknowledgments:We wish to thank all European patients and patient association leads who worked on this projectDisclosure of Interests:Shanali Perera Consultant of: Vifor Pharma, Dijana krafcsik Employee of: Vifor Pharma, Peter Rutherford Shareholder of: Vifor Pharma, Employee of: Vifor Pharma, Baxter Healthcare

The Impact of the SAGE & THYME Foundation Level Workshop on Factors Influencing Communication Skills in Health Care Professionals

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Connolly ◽  
Joanne M. Thomas ◽  
Julie A. Orford ◽  
Nicola Schofield ◽  
Sigrid Whiteside ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals A realist evaluation exploring simulated patient role-play in pharmacist undergraduate communication training

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aisling Kerr ◽  
Judith Strawbridge ◽  
Caroline Kelleher ◽  
James Barlow ◽  
Clare Sullivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Communication Training ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Simulated Patients ◽  
Rank Test

Abstract Background Effective communication between pharmacists and patients is essential and improves health outcomes. Simulated patients (SPs) are trained to reproduce real-life situations and can help pharmacy students to develop and adapt their communication skills in a safe, learner-centred environment. The aim of this research was to explore how SP and pharmacy student role-play supports communication training. Methods A mixed methods realist evaluation approach was adopted to test an initial theory relating to SP role-play for pharmacy students. The intervention tested involved complex communication cases in a men’s and women’s health module in year three of a new MPharm programme. This SP session was the first such session, of the programme which exclusively focused on complex communication skills for the students. Data collected comprised video-recordings of both training and mock OSCE sessions, and from student focus groups. Communication videos were scored using the Explanation and Planning Scale (EPSCALE) tool. Scores from SP and mock OSCE sessions were compared using the Wilcoxon-signed rank test. Focus groups were conducted with students about their experience of the training and analysed thematically, through a realist lens. Data was analysed for Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations to produce modified programme theories. Results Forty-six students (n = 46/59, 78 %) consented to their video-recorded interactions to be used. Students identified contextual factors relating to the timing within the course and the setting of the intervention, the debrief and student individual contexts. Mechanisms included authenticity, feedback, reflection, self-awareness and confidence. Negative responses included embarrassment and nervousness. They distinguished outcomes including increased awareness of communication style, more structured communication and increased comfort. However quantitative data showed a decrease (p < 0.001) in communication scores in the mock OSCE compared with scores from training sessions. Modified programme theories relating to SP training for pharmacy students were generated. Conclusions SP role-play is a valuable communication skills training approach. Emphasis should be placed on multiple stakeholder feedback and promotion of reflection. Time limits need to be considered in this context and adjusted to meet student needs, especially for students with lower levels of communication comfort and those communicating in languages different to their first language.

scholarly journals A Virtual Counseling Application Using Artificial Intelligence for Communication Skills Training in Nursing Education: Development Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shefaly Shorey ◽  
Emily Ang ◽  
John Yap ◽  
Esperanza Debby Ng ◽  
Siew Tiang Lau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Communication Skills Training ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Virtual Counseling

BACKGROUND The ability of nursing undergraduates to communicate effectively with health care providers, patients, and their family members is crucial to their nursing professions as these can affect patient outcomes. However, the traditional use of didactic lectures for communication skills training is ineffective, and the use of standardized patients is not time- or cost-effective. Given the abilities of virtual patients (VPs) to simulate interactive and authentic clinical scenarios in secured environments with unlimited training attempts, a virtual counseling application is an ideal platform for nursing students to hone their communication skills before their clinical postings. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to develop and test the use of VPs to better prepare nursing undergraduates for communicating with real-life patients, their family members, and other health care professionals during their clinical postings. METHODS The stages of the creation of VPs included preparation, design, and development, followed by a testing phase before the official implementation. An initial voice chatbot was trained using a natural language processing engine, Google Cloud’s Dialogflow, and was later visualized into a three-dimensional (3D) avatar form using Unity 3D. RESULTS The VPs included four case scenarios that were congruent with the nursing undergraduates’ semesters’ learning objectives: (1) assessing the pain experienced by a pregnant woman, (2) taking the history of a depressed patient, (3) escalating a bleeding episode of a postoperative patient to a physician, and (4) showing empathy to a stressed-out fellow final-year nursing student. Challenges arose in terms of content development, technological limitations, and expectations management, which can be resolved by contingency planning, open communication, constant program updates, refinement, and training. CONCLUSIONS The creation of VPs to assist in nursing students’ communication skills training may provide authentic learning environments that enhance students’ perceived self-efficacy and confidence in effective communication skills. However, given the infancy stage of this project, further refinement and constant enhancements are needed to train the VPs to simulate real-life conversations before the official implementation.

scholarly journals Evaluation of attitudes of health care professionals towards the use of corticosteroids in the Republic of Kosovo

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (02) ◽  
pp. 73-77
Author(s):  
Emir Behluli ◽  
Marija Nikoloski ◽  
Lidvana Spahiu ◽  
Marija Glavas Dodov
Keyword(s):  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Dosage Forms ◽  
Oral Dosage ◽  
Topical Steroids ◽  
Routine Monitoring ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Corticosteroid Drugs

Irrational use of drugs/medicinal productsremains a major issue facing most health systems across the world, especially the developing countries with weak health systems, where mechanisms for routine monitoring of drug productuse are often not well developed or are at times non-existent. In order to collect preliminary data on real-life attitudes, beliefs and perceptions about the treatment with corticosteroid drugs (CSs), a representative sample of 30caregivers (medical doctors from different specialty) from Republic of Kosovo, was assessed during the period of March to April in 2017, where most of the surveyed (93.30%) were of Albanian nationality. More than 86% of all surveyed respondents confirmed that they prescribed CSs in the last year. According to the answers of the questionnaire, 33.33% of respondents prescribed 1 to 5 CSs in the last month, 23.33% of respondents prescribed5 to 10 CSs and 26.67% more than 15 CSs, while 16.67% not even once. The question concerning the attitudes on CSs treatment was answered as follows: 16.67% of all respondents had negative attitude on CSs treatment, 60% of the respondents expressed the opposite opinion, and the other 23.33% of respondents could not give a definite answer. Data from the separate analyses performed to determine the most common indication showed that allergy was the indication the CSs were mostly prescribed for (70%). Of the total CSs prescribed, obtained results revealed that low potency CSs (methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, prednisolone) were often prescribed (70%), while the most commonly prescribed dosage forms were topical steroids, followed by the inhalation formulations and oral dosage forms (33.33%). Keywords: corticosteroids, irrational use, prescription, survey, corticophobia

Improving patient-centered care for people with dementia in medical encounters: an educational intervention for old age psychiatrists

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Robinson ◽  
Claire Bamford ◽  
Ruth Briel ◽  
John Spencer ◽  
Paula Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Patient Centered Care ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
Subsequent Behavior

ABSTRACTBackground: Health care professionals are recommended to deliver patient-centered care in dementia; however, guidance and training on how to do this in practice is currently lacking. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate pragmatically an educational intervention for old age psychiatrists to promote patient-centered care in their consultations with people with dementia and their carers.Methods: We used a range of methods to (i) identify the theoretical components of patient-centered care (literature review) and (ii) observe actual practice (video recording of 53 consultations between old age psychiatrists and people with dementia and their family carers). We also interviewed participants from (ii) including 7 old age psychiatrists, 25 people with dementia and 44 carers. From this we developed a workshop for old age psychiatrists and piloted and evaluated it. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were completed; the latter included an assessment of planned and subsequent behavior change by participants.Results: The educational workshop, attended by 41 old age psychiatrists, focused on how best to structure the consultation and the most effective communication skills to use in consultation with people with dementia. Three months after the workshop, 59% had made one or more changes to the structure of their consultations, 71% had used new communication skills and 56% had reflected further on their practice.Conclusions: We developed an educational intervention with both a theoretical and empirical basis. The workshops resulted in many changes to self-reported practice; whether this was noticeable to patients and carers requires further study.

Preparing Part-Time Instructors for Success in Online Course Development and Teaching

2019 ◽  
pp. 250-297
Author(s):  
Dan Piedra
Keyword(s):  
Continuing Education ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Education Theory ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Online Course Development

Part-time instructors are at the heart of each continuing education operation throughout the world. They bring a wealth of industry experience which adds real-life undertones to classes. However, many lack foundational training in areas of instructional strategies and adult education theory, learning management systems (LMS) and their use in online courses, and course design and development. This chapter will provide an overview of how McMaster University's Centre for Continuing Education has addressed all three of the above areas with a view towards better equipping their part-time instructors in providing a better-quality learning experience. Central to the above is the use of online training and a thorough and highly structured approach to online course development.

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