title: Do occupational therapists' communication behaviours change with experience?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An increasing amount of literature has studied changes in communication skills in medical and nursing undergraduate students.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether occupational therapists' communication behaviours change with experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 45 participants (second-year OT students, final-year OT students, professional OTs) were enrolled and met three simulated clients. The role plays were video-recorded and analysed through OT-RIAS (Occupational Therapy-Roter Interaction Analysis System). Chi-square tests were used to analyse the statistical differences between groups for the OT-RIAS categories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Process represented 30.74% of communication for second-year students, 33.69% for final year students, and 35.58% for professional OTs; Occupational therapy ranged from 30.41% in the second-year students to 32.54% in the undergraduates and 37.04% in the professional OTs; Medical increased from 18.66% to 34.33% of the final-year students and 47.01% of the professional therapists. Personal and Psychosocial slightly decreased through experience. Emotional decreased gradually: 39.8% in the second-year students, 29.54% in final-year students, and 30.66% in professional OTs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During training in occupational therapy the communication skills changed, assuming a more technical shape, increasing control and content-related OT communication. Nevertheless, the therapists' communication behaviours showed the endurance of attention to the client's point of view.
authors.affiliation: a Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, San Paolo Hospital , Milan, Italy ;
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borghi
authors.affiliation: b IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi , Milan, Italy ;
authors.forename: Ingela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: a Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, San Paolo Hospital , Milan, Italy ;
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barlascini
authors.affiliation: a Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, San Paolo Hospital , Milan, Italy ;|c CURA Centre, University of Milan , Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Egidio A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Moja
authors.affiliation: a Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, San Paolo Hospital , Milan, Italy ;|c CURA Centre, University of Milan , Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vegni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000193:education; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000379:methods*; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology; D014741:Video Recording / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Communication; OT-RIAS; occupational therapy; videotaped simulated visits