title: Development and evaluation of a learner-centered training course on communication skills for baccalaureate nursing students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is no standardized or formal communication skills training in the current nursing curriculum in Macao, China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop and evaluate a learner-centered communication skills training course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both qualitative and quantitative designs were used in two separate stages.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized sample and a convenience sample were taken from students on a four-year bachelor's degree program at a public institute in Macao.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stage I consisted of developing a learner-centered communication skills training course using four focus groups (n=32). Stage II evaluated the training's efficacy by comparing communication skills, clinical interaction, interpersonal dysfunction, and social problem-solving abilities using a quasi-experimental longitudinal pre-post design among 62 nursing students. A course evaluation form was also used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Content analysis was used to evaluate the essential themes in order to develop the specific content and teaching strategies of the course. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed significant improvement in all post-training scores for communication ability, content of communication, and handling of communication barriers. According to the mean scores of the course evaluation form, students were generally very satisfied with the course: 6.11 to 6.74 on a scale of 1 to 7.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that the course was effective in improving communication skills, especially in terms of the content and the handling of communication barriers. The course filled an important gap in the training needs of nursing students in Macao. The importance of these findings and their implications for nursing education are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yoo Loo Li School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Electronic address: nurly@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Wenru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008256:Macau; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D016294:Models, Nursing; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Communication ability; Communication skills training course; Learner-centered; Macao; Teaching strategies