title: Is it possible to improve radiotherapy team members' communication skills? A randomized study assessing the efficacy of a 38-h communication skills training program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Optimizing communication between radiotherapy team members and patients and between colleagues requires training. This study applies a randomized controlled design to assess the efficacy of a 38-h communication skills training program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four radiotherapy teams were randomly assigned either to a training program or to a waiting list. Team members' communication skills and their self-efficacy to communicate in the context of an encounter with a simulated patient were the primary endpoints. These encounters were scheduled at the baseline and after training for the training group, and at the baseline and four months later for the waiting list group. Encounters were audiotaped and transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed with content analysis software (LaComm) and by an independent rater.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty team members were included in the study. Compared to untrained team members, trained team members used more turns of speech with content oriented toward available resources in the team (relative rate [RR]=1.38; p=0.023), more assessment utterances (RR=1.69; p<0.001), more empathy (RR=4.05; p=0.037), more negotiation (RR=2.34; p=0.021) and more emotional words (RR=1.32; p=0.030), and their self-efficacy to communicate increased (p=0.024 and p=0.008, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The training program was effective in improving team members' communication skills and their self-efficacy to communicate in the context of an encounter with a simulated patient. Future study should assess the effect of this training program on communication with actual patients and their satisfaction. Moreover a cost-benefit analysis is needed, before implementing such an intensive training program on a broader scale.
authors.affiliation: Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium; Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences Psychologiques et de l'Éducation, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Gibon
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Merckaert
authors.forename: Aurore
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liénard
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Libert
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Delvaux
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchal
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Etienne
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reynaert
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Slachmuylder
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scalliet
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Houtte
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coucke
authors.forename: Emile
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salamon
authors.forename: Darius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Razavi
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000193:education*; D020377:Self Efficacy
keywords: Cancer; Communication skills; Team working; Training