Evaluation of communication skills from a 360° perspective at simulated Tele-rehabilitation scenarios

Abstract

Communication skills (CS) are competencies required by health professionals. Clinical simulation with a simulated/standardized patient (SP) is a good resource for teaching this skill. However, it requires trained teachers to guide the process. Not all teachers have this training. HC short evaluation instruments are required to develop a structured observation during the activity, especially those that can be applied by all the participants to guide and understand the process from a broader perspective. Validate a short HC assessment questionnaire to evaluate these skills from a 360° analysis, i.e., from the learner, facilitator/teacher, and PS perspective. A brief HC questionnaire was created, subjected to construct and content validity, and thus applied to 40 Kinesiology undergraduate students, facilitator/teacher, and PS during a simulated teleconsultation scenario. We analyzed the result of the communication by descriptive statistics, Lashe, Cronbach, KMO, Bartlett, IVC, Fisher and Cohen tests, and exploratory factorial analysis. The questionnaire showed content validity for 5 of 6 items. Construct validity with commonalities over 50% for each item. With good reliability (Cronbach's alpha > 0.79). We found high levels of HC in the students, but the concordance between observers was weak (Cohen's Kappa < 0.4). The short questionnaire for HC is a valid assessment tool during clinical simulation. Incorporating the views and perceptions of all the simulation participants can improve the understanding of health communication.