Staff's Knowledge and Self-Confidence in Difficult Communication: Evaluation of a Short Experiential-Based Training...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Geriatric Care

Background:

• Traditional communication training often lacks interdisciplinary approaches and focuses on hospital settings.
• Nursing home (NH) personnel require specialized communication skills for effective patient care.
• Existing training methods may not adequately prepare staff for complex communication scenarios in NHs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a short, interdisciplinary, experiential communication program for NH personnel.
• To assess the program's impact on staff-related outcomes, including knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction.
• To determine the utility of experiential learning methods, such as role-playing and video case studies, in communication training.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post single-arm intervention design was employed within a quality improvement project.
• A 6-hour residential program, 'Teach-to-Communicate,' involved 30 NH staff members from diverse roles.
• Learning incorporated lectures, group discussions, role-playing, and analysis of real-life communication scenarios using video case studies.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant increase in acquired communication knowledge was observed (p < 0.001).
• Self-reported preparedness and confidence in communication, especially difficult conversations, showed substantial improvement (effect size 0.7).
• Participants reported high satisfaction with the training, particularly valuing video case studies and clinical relevance.

Conclusions:

• The 'Teach-to-Communicate' program effectively enhances knowledge and confidence in communication skills for NH staff.
• Experiential learning, particularly video case studies, is a valuable component of communication skills training in NH settings.
• This interdisciplinary program demonstrates potential for improving staff communication and patient care in nursing homes.