Effectiveness of a three-day communication skills course in changing nurses' communication skills with cancer/palliative care patients: a randomised controlled trial.
This multi-centre, two-armed parallel-group pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the effectiveness of a 3-day communication skills course in changing nurses' communication skills. The primary outcome was the change in the nurses' communication skills score from pre-course to 12 weeks post-course. The main secondary outcome was the change in the nurses' level of confidence in communicating with patients. A total of 172 nurses were randomised to the course or control. The communication skills score for the intervention group increased by 3.4 points post-course but decreased in the control by 0.05 points (between-group difference in change: 3.41, 95% CI: 2.16-4.66, P < 0.001). Confidence scores increased by 18.16 points for the intervention group but decreased 0.7 points in the control (between-group difference in change: 18.86, 95% CI: 13.39-24.34, P < 0.001). This RCT contributes to the evidence base on the effectiveness of communication skills training in cancer and palliative care.
Department of Mental Health Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK. susie.wilkinson@medsch.ucl.ac.uk
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Wilkinson
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Perry
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Blanchard
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Linsell
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010166:Palliative Care