scholarly journals Evaluating the effectiveness of postgraduate research skills training and its alignment with the Research Skill Development framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 75-89
Author(s):  
Emma Gyuris ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Assessment Design ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
The Impact

This exploratory research focuses on a one-semester subject designed to facilitate deliberate practice while explicitly aiming to develop postgraduate students’ basic research skills: academic writing and its co-requisite skill, critical thinking. The research considers the alignment of the curriculum and assessment design of the subject ‘Research and Communication Skills for the Natural Sciences’ (SC5055) with the RSD framework. The research then identifies students who benefit most from a focus on the development of research and communication skills. The impact of SC5055 on students’ achievement and their ability to self-evaluate the development of their skills and understanding is also explored.

11 Filling the void: preparing future junior doctors for challenging conversations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 363.3-364
Author(s):  
Hannah Costelloe ◽  
Alice Copley ◽  
Andrew Greenhalgh ◽  
Andrew Foster ◽  
Pratik Solanki
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Small Group ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
List Type ◽  
The Impact

Evidence demonstrates that medical students have limited experience in developing ‘higher-order communication skills’ (Kaufman et al. 2000). Anecdotally many do not feel confident in their ability to conduct difficult conversations often due to a lack of exposure to such scenarios in practice or a pervasive notion that these scenarios are inappropriate for students and beyond the scope of a junior doctor’s role and thus not a focus of curriculums (Noble et al. 2007). There is however a correlation between level of clinical experience and improved confidence for medical students (Morgan and Cleave-Hogg 2002).We surveyed a group of final year medical students to assess their confidence using a 10-point Likert scale in tackling common palliative and end of life care scenarios. Our intervention comprised a study day of 10 practical small-group teaching simulation and OSCE-style stations designed to provide exposure to common experiences in a controlled setting. We reassessed the confidence of students after delivery and objectively explored the impact of the day by asking participants to complete a validated assessment before and after the course. All results showed significant improvement on t-testing: confidence in end of life communication in an OSCE setting improved by 42.2% and assessment marks improved by 24.7% (p=0.039).Palliative care is an area in which students approaching the end of undergraduate training feel underprepared. Our findings demonstrate that small group sessions improve confidence by facilitating communication practice in a controlled environment and providing crucial exposure to common palliative care scenarios they will face as doctors.References. Kaufman D, Laidlaw T, Macleod H. Communication skills in medical school: Exposure confidence and performance. Academic Medicine [online] 2000;75(10):S90–S92. Available at https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2000/10001/Communication_Skills_in_Medical_School__Exposure.29.aspx [Accessed: 30 May 2018]. Morgan P, Cleave-Hogg D. Comparison between medical students’ experience confidence and competence. Medical Education [online] 2002;36(6):534–539. Available at https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01228.x [Accessed: 30 May 2018]. Noble L, Kubacki A, Martin J, Lloyd M. The effect of professional skills training on patient-centredness and confidence in communicating with patients. Medical Education [online] 2007;41(5):432–440. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2007.02704.x [Accessed: 30 May 2018]

Does coaching goals of care discussion skills make a difference?

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6586-6586
Author(s):  
Nina A. Bickell ◽  
Kerin B. Adelson ◽  
Jason Parker Gonsky ◽  
Sofya Pintova ◽  
Benjamin Philip Levy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Advanced Cancer ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Cancer Prognosis ◽  
Advanced Cancer Patients ◽  
Goals Of Care ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Model C ◽  
The Impact

6586 Background: Advanced cancer patients often have a poor understanding of their cancer prognosis. Goals of Care (GoC) discussions provide information about the cancer, its treatment & prognosis and elicit patient values. Little is known about the best ways to enhance patient understanding, clarify values and move GoC discussions earlier in the disease process. We report the effect of coaching oncologists on GoC discussions. Methods: We recruited oncologists & their advanced cancer patients with < 2 year prognosis to a RCT testing a coaching model communication skills training. Patients were surveyed after their post-imaging visit. We define GoC discussions as patient report that their doctor talked about their cancer prognosis and clarified things most important to them given their disease. Outcome variables assess the impact of GoC on patients’ knowledge on what to expect and clarity of values. Results: We enrolled 22/25 (88%) oncologists and 70% of eligible patients of whom 96 (55%) completed a survey. On average, doctors were 44 yrs old (32-66) and in practice 14.5 yrs (5-40). Patients’ mean age was 62 yrs (20-95), 40% females, 58% white, 24% Latino & 22 % black. Overall, 2/3 of patients reported their treatment’s goal was to cure their cancer; 14% reported cure to be unlikely. Patients felt more knowledgeable (79% vs 21%; p = 0.02) when their doctors discussed treatments, side effects & quality of life. When patients were asked about things important to them, they report being a bit clearer about their values (65% vs 35%; p = 0.16). Compared to controls, intervention patients felt more knowledgeable (78% v 63%; p = 0.17) but did not feel clearer about their values (60% v 54%; p = 0.59). Multivariate modeling found that poor health literacy (OR = 0.2; 95%CI: 0.07-0.82), having a GoC discussion (OR = 10.2; 1.7-63.1) and being in the intervention group (OR = 8.8; 1.4-55.2) significantly affected knowledge (model c = 0.88; p < 0.01). However, discussing what’s important to patients did not help patients feel clearer about their values (OR = 2.7; 0.6-12.2; model c = 0.82; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Using a coaching model to teach oncologists communication skills may improve patients’ understanding of what to expect with their cancer but does not impact their clarity of values. Clinical trial information: NCT02374255.

The impact of clinical visits on communication skills training

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevgi Turan ◽  
Melih Elcin ◽  
Sarp Uner ◽  
Orhan Odabasi ◽  
Iskender Sayek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Communication Skills Training ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The effectiveness of communication-skills training interventions in end-of-life noncancer care in acute hospital-based services: A systematic review

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lord ◽  
David Clark-Carter ◽  
Amy Grove
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Communication Skills Training ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Staff Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
End Of Life Communication

AbstractObjective:A systematic review was conducted in order to explore the effectiveness of communication-skills training interventions in end-of-life care with noncancer acute-based healthcare staff.Method:Articles were included if they (1) focused on communication-skills training in end-of-life/palliative care for noncancer acute-based staff and (2) reported an outcome related to behavior change with regard to communication. Sixteen online databases were searched, which resulted in 4,038 potential articles. Screening of titles left 393 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Abstracts (n = 346) and full-text articles (n = 47) were reviewed, leaving 10 papers that met the criteria for our review. All articles explored the effect of communication-skills training on aspects of staff behavior; one study measured the effect on self-efficacy, another explored the impact on knowledge and competence, and another measured comfort levels in discussing the end of life with patients/families. Seven studies measured a number of outcomes, including confidence, attitude, preparedness, stress, and communication skills.Results:Few studies have focused on end-of-life communication-skills training in noncancer acute-based services. Those that do have report positive effects on staff behavior with regard to communication about the end of life with patients and families. The studies varied in terms of the population studied and the health services involved, and they scored only moderately or weakly on quality. It is a challenge to draw a definite conclusion about the effectiveness of training interventions in end-of-life communication because of this. However, the findings from our review demonstrate the potential effectiveness of a range of training interventions with healthcare professionals on confidence, attitude, self-efficacy, and communication skills.Significance of results:Further research is needed to fully explore the effectiveness of existing training interventions in this population, and evidence using objective measures is particularly needed. Ideally, randomized controlled trials or studies using control groups and longer follow-ups are needed to test the effectiveness of interventions.

Training patients to reach their communication goals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. D’Agostino ◽  
Carma L. Bylund ◽  
Betty Chewning
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Patient Communication ◽  
Communication Goals ◽  
Training Format ◽  
Communication Interventions ◽  
Physician Patient ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Written Materials ◽  
Patient Communication Skills Training

Although effective physician–patient communication relies on both parties, an overwhelming majority of literature within the field of healthcare communication has focused on the physician or healthcare provider. This chapter presents research aimed at improving patient communication skills and physician–patient interactions through patient training. Published interventions can be categorized as those that entail the presentation of written materials only, materials plus some form of individualized coaching, or a group-based training format. Many patient communication interventions focus exclusively on patient question asking. Interventions reviewed in this chapter incorporate a broader range of skills towards a more comprehensive training. Available literature has demonstrated the impact of patient communication skills training on patient self-efficacy, behavioural intention, observed skill usage, treatment adherence, and more. A notable limitation of current research is the lack of a unifying theoretical model. The chapter proposes concordance, or shared physician–patient agreement, as a useful conceptual framework.

Two monologues do not make a dialogue: the need for medical specialty–specific communication workshops: population-based study

BMJ Leader ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-18
Author(s):  
Jeeji Palocaren ◽  
Renjith Raj Puthuparampil ◽  
Celine Mathew Thalappillil
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Communication Skill ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Diagnostic Laboratory ◽  
Patient Satisfaction Scores ◽  
The Impact

AimIncreasing attacks on healthcare personnel in India have highlighted the need for improved communication between staff and patients. Currently, communication skill workshops target doctors and nurses, overlooking a key player relevant to patient satisfaction—allied health professionals (henceforth, AHPs). This study evaluates the impact of communication skills training for diagnostic laboratory and blood bank personnel on patient satisfaction scores.MethodThe impact of communication workshop for AHPs was tested through pre-workshop and post-workshop questionnaires to participants that tested how they handle communication with patients. Additionally, participants were also administered the questionnaire 4 months after the workshop to test knowledge retention. In parallel, the change in patient satisfaction towards AHPs was assessed by a pre-workshop and post-workshop patient survey.ResultsParticipants experienced a statistically significant improvement in communication skills, as measured by the pre-workshop and post-workshop questionnaires. This coincided with a significant increase in patient satisfaction scores after the workshop, as indicated by the patient satisfaction survey. The difference in communication skills scores between experienced and inexperienced personnel showed a marked decrease after the workshop, suggesting that such workshops can help inexperienced workers ‘catch up’ with more experienced workers. However, scores of all participants showed a statistically significant decrease after 4 months, suggesting that the use of such workshops can be enhanced through periodic refresher courses.ConclusionCommunication workshops for AHPs can play a crucial role in improving patient–hospital relations. These workshops can also help standardise services by bridging communication skill differences between experienced and inexperienced staff.

scholarly journals The Impact of Communication Skills Training on the Adjustment of Opiate Addicts

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Zeinab Sirous Jahedi ◽  
Ali Pouladi Reyshahri
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Adjustment ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Emotional Adjustment ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Communication Skills Training ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Opiate Addicts ◽  
The Impact

The present research was aimed to study the impact of communication skills training on the adjustment of opiate addicts. The research was quasi experimental. Statistical population consisted of all addicts in Tehran in 2014-15. Single-stage cluster sampling method was used in the present research so that one of the rehabilitation camps in West of Tehran was selected. Afterwards, 30 addicts were chosen as a sample size using simple random sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data collection was carried out based on Bell Adjustment Questionnaire (1961). The reliability was investigated using Cronbach's alpha and the obtained value was equal to 0.84. Moreover, content validity was employed in order to measure the validity of the test which the questionnaire was approved by the relevant experts and scholars in this regard. Analysis of the obtained data was performed using SPSS software in two parts of descriptive and inferential (Covariance Analysis). Findings indicated that communication skills training leads to an increase in the level of adjustment of addicts in every five dimensions of social adjustment, family adjustment, emotional adjustment, physical adjustment and occupational adjustment.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Communication Skills Training in Marital Disturbance

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 351-358
Author(s):  
Amin Ahrari ◽  
◽  
Mohammad Reza Miri ◽  
Abbas Ali Ramezani ◽  
Reza Dastjerdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
T Test ◽  
Marital Distress ◽  
Communication Skills Training ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Background: Marital disturbance widely impact the quality of marriage in couples. Besides, the lack of communication skills among couples is considered as one of the most significant personal factors influencing marriage distress. Therefore, this research aimed to determine the impact of communication skills training on marital disturbance. Methods: In this interventional study, the target population was all couples residing in the marginal regions of Birjand City, in 2016. Sixty couples (N=120) were randomly selected and assigned into two groups of intervention (30 couples) and control (30 couples). The data collection instrument consisted of two sections of private information and the Pines couple burnout measure. Results: Educational intervention was conducted for the intervention group in six sessions of 120 minutes. The questionnaire was completed before and three months after the intervention, in both groups. Then, the obtained data were analyzed using the chi-squared test, independent t-test, and paired t-test, considering the significant level of 0.05, in SPSS V. 18. The Mean±SD age was 32.27±6.24 years and 34.85±5.74 years in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Also, the Mean±SD marriage life of couples was 7.33±5.29 years and 9.57±5.73 years in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Conclusion: The mean of marital disturbance modifications, marital distress, and physical and emotional loss significantly differed between the intervention and control groups (P<0.05). Communication skills training can significantly reduce marital distress and its dimensions, including physical, emotional, and mental retardation, in couples living in the suburb.

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