A Model of Factors Determining Nurses' Attitudes towards Learning Communicative Competences.

Lucyna Iwanow,Mariusz Panczyk,Joanna Gotlib,Mariusz Jaworski

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041544

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the empirical model of factors determining the attitude towards acquiring communicative competences among nurses participating in the program of specialist training courses. Research was conducted using a cross-sectional study. A representative group of 1010 Polish registered nurses that took part in the postgraduate education course answered a self-report survey (three instruments: NEO-PI-R questionnaire, Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), and Empathy Understanding Questionnaire (KRE II)) from the beginning of March to the end of May 2018, which was evaluated using path analysis. The research results conducted confirmed the soundness of the created theoretical model (χ2 = 0.278, p = 0.598, RMSEA < 0.05). It was proved that acquiring communicative competences in nurses is determined by factors such as professional experience, empathic tendency, and the intensity of agreeableness, whereby these factors are bound with each other creating a homogeneous network. The developed model demonstrated that skills can most effectively be shaped in an individual’s attitude based on positive mentoring in work environment.

Highlights

Nurses’ communicative skills influence the quality and efficiency of the therapeutic process as well as the safety of both the patient and medical personnel in a significant way [1]
A nurse may have knowledge concerning the role of communicative skills in clinical practice; she does not have to apply this knowledge as her attitude maybe a negative one
It is thought that affective attitude is most susceptible to modification resulting from external factors, when it is related to experiencing strong emotions

Summary

Introduction

Nurses’ communicative skills influence the quality and efficiency of the therapeutic process as well as the safety of both the patient and medical personnel in a significant way [1]. Despite the fact that at the onset it might translate into a positive attitude towards acquiring communication skills, it diminishes in the long run when not supported by experience This is why the character of the working environment in which a nurse works is important. It is assumed that the skill of understanding and identification of one’s own and others’ emotions is an important factor influencing adequate decision-making in clinical practice [19], increasing the efficiency of patient engagement in the therapeutic process, improving therapeutic relationships, and positively influencing the quality of medical care offered to the patient [18]. It is worth stressing that the ability to work with one’s own and others’ emotions may directly influence the gaining of professional clinical skills in nurses [20], as well as constituting a significant factor in successful nursing practice [21]

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Conclusion