Do occupational therapists' communication behaviours change with experience?

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Occupational Therapy
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Communication skills in healthcare professionals are increasingly studied.
• Existing literature often focuses on medical and nursing students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in occupational therapists' communication behaviors as a function of experience.
• To analyze communication patterns across different stages of occupational therapy training and practice.

Main Methods:

• 45 participants (second-year OT students, final-year OT students, professional OTs) engaged in simulated client interactions.
• Video recordings of role-play scenarios were analyzed using the Occupational Therapy-Roter Interaction Analysis System (OT-RIAS).
• Statistical analysis (Chi-square tests) identified differences in communication categories between groups.

Main Results:

• Communication shifted towards more process-oriented and occupational therapy-specific content with increasing experience.
• Medical communication content significantly increased with experience.
• Personal, psychosocial, and emotional communication content showed a slight decrease or fluctuation with experience.

Conclusions:

• Occupational therapy training enhances communication skills, leading to more technical and content-focused interactions.
• Despite increased technicality, experienced therapists maintain a strong focus on the client's viewpoint.
• Communication patterns evolve during professional development, balancing technical expertise with client-centeredness.