Developing education to confront challenges with dyadic communication while wearing facemasks in long-term care.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Communication
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Effective communication is vital for quality care in long-term settings.
• Facemask use during the COVID-19 pandemic created significant communication barriers for residents and staff.
• Existing communication strategies often fail to address the unique challenges of facemask use in long-term care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot test CHATO-PPE, a web-based educational module.
• To enhance communication skills of long-term care staff when wearing facemasks.
• To promote person-centered communication practices in long-term care facilities.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach across three phases: needs assessment, module development, and pilot testing.
• Qualitative data collection through interviews and focus groups with residents, staff, and family members.
• Quantitative evaluation using a one-group, pre-post design with 32 nursing home staff participants.

Main Results:

• Identified key themes and integrated them into best practices for facemask communication.
• Participants showed a significant increase in confidence and ability to identify effective verbal communication strategies.
• High participant satisfaction reported with the CHATO-PPE module.

Conclusions:

• CHATO-PPE is an effective tool for equipping nursing home staff with strategies for successful communication while wearing facemasks.
• The module supports the maintenance of person-centered communication, enhancing resident well-being.
• Web-based educational modules can successfully address communication challenges in healthcare settings.