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.
Wilkinson
S
S
Department of Mental Health Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK. susie.wilkinson@medsch.ucl.ac.uk
Perry
R
R
Blanchard
K
K
Linsell
L
L
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