A course for nurses to handle difficult communication situations. A randomized controlled trial of impact on self-efficacy and performance.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the impact of a communication skills course for nurses on how to handle difficult communication situations in their daily work. METHODS: a 7-h course was developed using a construct of "Awareness, Feelings, Listen, Solve" (AFLS). A pedagogy of experiential, learner-centered learning was adopted. The course evaluation used a randomized controlled design with pre- and post-measures of self-efficacy and performance. RESULTS: forty-one nurses volunteered and thirty-three nurses completed all assigned parts of the study. On self-assessment, there was significant improvement for self-efficacy (F=24.43, p<0.001), but not for emotional awareness. On performance, there was no significant improvement between intervention and control groups (F=3.46, p=0.073). CONCLUSION: a short course for nurses on handling difficult communication situations achieved significant improvements in self-efficacy but not in performance. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: teaching communication skills in community-based settings is important for the safety and effectiveness of patient care. Sponsoring organizations should weigh trade-offs between feasibility and achievement of measurable improvements in performance. One possible approach is to focus on specific communication skills rather than a full suite of skills.