Comprehensive Communication Skills Research Articles

Exploring Situational Writing Strategies in English: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Analysis of Student Responses

The research focused on how students effectively establish rapport with authors and readers in essays through linguistic constructs. Using qualitative methods, a group of 20 participants was studied, with three students selected for situational writing assessment. Halliday's (2004) metafunctions framework-ideational, interpersonal, and textual-guided the analysis of their compositions. The findings revelaed revealed that students 1, 2, and 3 adeptly employed these metafunctions. The ideational dimension was used to coherently present reasons for incomplete homework while maintaining thematic consistency. Interpersonally, the students employed respectful tones, expressed contrition, commitment, appreciation, and responsibility. Textually, their work exhibited logical structure and cohesion. Through the integration of these metafunctions, students enhanced their communication strategies. The study underscores the significance of metafunction awareness in language education, suggesting that incorporating ideational, interpersonal, and textual dimensions can elevate writing proficiency. It offers guidance for adaptable communication, nurtures comprehensive communication skills, and establishes transferable proficiencies and assessment criteria. Ultimately, this research contributes to effective communication pedagogy across diverse contexts, showcasing the nuanced strategies students employ to connect with authors and readers.

An innovative approach to comprehensive communication skills training for residents: a resident-led communication curriculum.

Innovations to enhance residency training in interpersonal and communication skills are needed and a resident-led strategy has not been well-described. In this study, we explored a resident-led comprehensive communication skills curriculum for internal medicine residents. Residents and faculty prepared the curriculum as part of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Back to Bedside Project and with "The language of caring guide for physicians." Employing active learning techniques, three residents led 43 internal medicine residents in seven 1 h sessions from 2019 to 2020. Using a 35-question survey, we assessed pre and post self-reported competence in: mindful practice, collaboration and teamwork, effective openings and closing, communicating with empathy, effective explanations, engaging patients and families as partners, and hard conversations. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was employed to explore differences in median scores after matching each person's pretest and posttest score. The median score for aggregate communication and the scores for all seven competencies assessed improved from pre to post (p < 0.05). This indicates that residents reported higher incidences of performing patient-centered communication skills after the curriculum compared to before. Using a five-point Likert scale, 100% of participants agreed the program improved their communication skills and improved confidence in bedside patient-centered communications. A resident-led comprehensive communication skills curriculum for internal medicine residents was implemented showing improvement in skills over the course of the curriculum. The curriculum was well-accepted by post-survey evaluation and was feasible with motivated resident-leaders, use of an existing guide to communication, and reserved didactic time to implement the program.

A Study on the Implications of Critical Discourse Analysis Theory for College English Teaching in the Context of Big Data

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of critical discourse analysis theory in the context of big data to enlighten university English teaching. To this end, this paper conducts big data mining on university English teaching under the K-nearest neighbor classification algorithm based on the optimization of K-value selection strategy. With the help of the three-dimensional discourse analysis framework under the critical discourse analysis theory, students' evaluation of the current university English in terms of learning value, teaching organization, teaching interaction, teaching coverage, and teacher-student relationship is explored. In terms of the evaluation of learning value, the students' ratings, in descending order, were: inspiring ideas, increasing insight, learning meaningful content, and learning methods. The mean scores were 4.35, 3.81, 3.68, and 3.14, respectively, and for the evaluation of teaching interaction, students thought that the teacher did the best job of encouraging speech, giving an average score of 3.38. This shows that college English teaching should adapt to the development of the times, strengthen students' comprehensive communication skills, and deepen their understanding of English culture.

Effect of multimodal comprehensive communication skills training with video analysis by artificial intelligence for physicians on acute geriatric care: a mixed-methods study

ObjectivesTo quantitatively analyse by artificial intelligence (AI) the communication skills of physicians in an acute care hospital for geriatric care following a multimodal comprehensive care communication skills training programme and...

Nurses’ Challenges in Caring for Patients with COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nurses who care for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) face challenges in providing care for these patients. This study aimed to explain the nurses’ perception of challenges in caring for patients with COVID-19. Methods: This study was carried out using the content analysis method in 2020. In this study, 28 nurses were selected via purposive sampling. Individual and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. Data collection continued until data saturation. Content analysis was used to categorize the data and the method proposed by Elo and Kyngäs was also applied to analyze the data. Results: Nurses’ challenges were classified into three categories including organizational problems, defective communication process, and psychosocial challenges. The first category was divided into two subcategories including shortage of nurses and lack of personal protective equipment. The second category included two subcategories of defective communication with colleagues and defective communication with the patients and their families. Moreover, the third category was classified into two subcategories including psychological distress and sociocultural challenges. Conclusion: To address the challenges of nurses in caring for patients with COVID-19, the shortage of nurses should be eliminated. Nurses need to participate in comprehensive communication skills training courses. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop educational programs and present them to the public based on the cultural context of the society.

Effectiveness of a comprehensive communication skills training in clients diagnosed with schizophrenia

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of coommunication skills training (CST) on anxiety, depression, social comparison and basic conversation skills in clients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Method: 37 clients with schizophrenia followed up at Dýþkapý Training and Research Hospital Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) were included in our study. The CST consisted of 12 weekly sessions lasting 1 hour. Sociodemographic Data Form, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Social Comparison Scale and Communication Skills Scale were applied to participants before and after training. Results: Significant improvements were found on depression (p= 0.008), self-perception (p= 0.015), and basic communication skills total score (p= 0.001) in post-assesment; however no significant difference was found in terms of anxiety scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: Given the current study's findings, the comprehensive CST has proven to be an effective approach for people with schizophrenia in terms of improving depression symptoms, communication skills and developing positive self-scheme

Development of a comprehensive communication skills curriculum bases on intervention mapping in response to an urgent need for community health workers' education reform: A study protocol.

BACKGROUND:Communication skills are one of the most important competencies required for community health workers (CHWs); however, there is no systematic evidence-based communication training course for them. In this study, we aim to develop a comprehensive communication skills curriculum for CHWs based on the intervention mapping (IM) approach.MATERIALS AND METHODS:We used the IM approach to develop a systematic evidence-based communication skills curriculum for CHWs. First, we will determine the required competencies (by a literature search, a qualitative study, and a Delphi study), and then, we will develop a questionnaire for need assessment, and finally, we will implement the course and evaluate its efficacy by conducting a randomized controlled trial. This study was designed according to the steps of IM.CONCLUSION:This protocol reports an example of developing a training course using IM. This course could be applied for similar health workers across the world, as well as the CHWs.

Undergraduate medical students’ attitudes towards patient-centredness: a longitudinal study

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. ObjectiveDue to various reasons patient-centredness has become an attribute most medical institutions aim to develop in their graduates. Research however indicates that there is a decline in undergraduate medical students' attitudes towards patient-centredness as they progress through their training. Most of the studies available are cross sectional studies, therefore a longitudinal study to look at how the attitudes of a specific group of undergraduate medical students change over time can be very useful.Methods A longitudinal study involving undergraduate medical students was employed. These students completed the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) over the last four years of their training and the mean scores of the PPOS was compared. The PPOS measures two constructs related to patient-centrendness namely "caring" and "sharing".Results and discussionPPOS results indicated that students already exhibited fairly low attitudes towards patient-centredness at the beginning of their clinical rotations in their third year, with no significant decline over the next three years. Reasons why the PPOS scores in this study are generally lower than in other similar populations is not clear, but possibilities that are mentioned are that it might be low from the first year already as well as the lack of a comprehensive communication skills training curriculum.ConclusionOur study showed that students' relatively low attitudes towards patient-centredness did not change significantly during their last four years of training. Implications for this finding is that selection criteria of students could perhaps be reconsidered and deliberate teaching and learning interventions to promote positive attitudes towards patient-centredness should be included as part of a comprehensive communication skills curriculum until students graduate.

Development of a Comprehensive Communication Skills Curriculum for Pediatrics Residents.

Effective communication is an essential element of medical care and a priority of medical education. Specific interventions to teach communication skills are at the discretion of individual residency programs. We developed the Resident Communication Skills Curriculum (RCSC), a formal curriculum designed to teach trainees the communication skills essential for high-quality practice. A multidisciplinary working group contributed to the development of the RCSC, guided by an institutional needs assessment, literature review, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. The result was a cohesive curriculum that incorporates didactic, role play, and real-life experiences over the course of the entire training period. Methods to assess curricular outcomes included self-reporting, surveys, and periodic faculty evaluations of the residents. Curricular components have been highly rated by residents (3.95-3.97 based on a 4-point Likert scale), and residents' self-reported communication skills demonstrated an improvement over the course of residency in the domains of requesting a consultation, providing effective handoffs, handling conflict, and having difficult conversations (intern median 3.0, graduate median 4.0 based on a 5-point Likert scale, P ≤ .002). Faculty evaluations of residents have also demonstrated improvement over time (intern median 3.0, graduate median 4.5 based on a 5-point Likert scale, P < .001). A comprehensive, integrated communication skills curriculum for pediatrics residents was implemented, with a multistep evaluative process showing improvement in skills over the course of the residency program. Positive resident evaluations and informal comments from faculty support its general acceptance. The use of existing resources makes this curriculum feasible.

Clear Conversations: A Comprehensive Curriculum to Facilitate Translation of Skills Learned in Simulated Settings to Improve Communication in Real Clinical Encounters (FR482E)

•Apply a protocol for deliberate practice of communication skills in real encounters with the aid of a mobile app and online template.•Demonstrate at least two communication skills learned in simulation (eg, ask-tell-ask, empathic response, open-ended question to elicit patient values) in a real clinical encounter. Communication skills training with simulated patients has gained traction in many academic centers as a way to improve communication skills. However, the optimal method to facilitate translation of skills learned in simulated settings to improve communication in real clinical encounters has not been described. We developed a comprehensive communication skills curriculum for physicians in the ICU that consists of (1) simulation-based communication skills workshops for ICU fellows, residents, and attending physicians; (2) standardized pre- and post-family meeting team huddles following a template in a mobile app, which includes setting a communication goal and getting specific feedback; (3) online evaluation template to record family meeting feedback as a procedure; and (4) mandatory family meetings within 72 hours for all patients in the ICU with APACHE IV mortality >30%. We conducted a prospective cohort 2-week pilot study. We implemented the curriculum in one ICU unit and compared it to another geographically distinct ICU unit where the attending, fellow, and residents had not received simulation training or training on other aspects of the curriculum. Our main outcome measure was family satisfaction with physician communication in the ICU using a 10-question modified HCAPS survey. A secondary outcome was trainee self-perceived preparedness for end-of-life communication tasks in the ICU pre and post intervention. Patients in the intervention group (n=15) scored significantly higher on satisfaction with physician communication than the control group (n=16) (p=0.0178). Trainees in the intervention group showed significant improvement in self-perceived preparedness in communication skills between pre and post intervention in expressing empathy, responding to families who deny the seriousness of their loved one's illness, and discussing spiritual issues. There were no significant differences pre and post intervention in the control group. This comprehensive communication curriculum combining simulation-based training, deliberate practice at the bedside with the aid of a mobile app and online evaluation template, and mandatory early family meetings for high risk patients was associated with improved patient satisfaction with physician communication in the ICU and increased trainee preparedness for difficult communication tasks. This communication curriculum could serve as a model for optimal inpatient communication skills training for residents and fellows across all disciplines.

Communication skills in pediatric training program: National-based survey of residents′ perspectives in Saudi Arabia

Background:Good communication skills and rapport building are considered the cardinal tools for developing a patient-doctor relationship. A positive, healthy competition among different health care organizations in Saudi Arabia underlines an ever increasing emphasis on effective patient-doctor relationship. Despite the numerous guidelines provided and programs available, there is a significant variation in the acceptance and approach to the use of this important tool among pediatric residents in this part of the world.Objective:To determine pediatric residents' attitude toward communication skills, their perception of important communication skills, and their confidence in the use of their communication skills in the performance of their primary duties.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among all pediatrics trainee residents working in 13 different hospitals in Saudi Arabia. A standardized self-administered questionnaire developed by the Harvard Medical School was used.Results:A total of 297 residents out of all trainees in these centers participated in the data collection. The 283 (95%) residents considered learning communication skills a priority in establishing a good patient-doctor relationship. Thirty four percent reported being very confident with regard to their communication skills. Few residents had the skills, and the confidence to communicate with children with serious diseases, discuss end-of-life issues, and deal with difficult patients and parents.Conclusion:Pediatric residents perceive the importance of communication skills and competencies as crucial components in their training. A proper comprehensive communication skills training should be incorporated into the pediatric resident training curriculum.

Communication self-efficacy, perceived conversational difficulty, and renal patients’ discussions about transplantation

ObjectiveMany patients with chronic and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have reported difficulties initiating and managing discussions about kidney transplantation, particularly live donor transplantation (LDT). Limited communication has demonstrable impact on patients’ access to transplantation, the duration of dialysis treatments, and the length of time awaiting a transplantable kidney. This formative study sought to identify the specific communicative and conversational elements impeding ESRD patients’ discussions about transplantation to inform the design of an educational program facilitating transplant-related discussions. MethodsFrom March to July 2012, semi-structured telephone interviews (n=63) were conducted with ESRD patients waitlisted for kidney transplantation at one mid-Atlantic transplant center. ResultsAlthough 85.7% (n=54) of patients reported holding discussions about transplantation, qualitative analyses of open-ended responses revealed that the majority (66.7%) had limited conversations. Patients reported difficulties managing a variety of logistical and content-related aspects of LDT discussions. Moderate levels of communication self-efficacy were also found (mean=19.2 out of 28); self-efficacy was highest among respondents having held discussions and was significantly related to perceived magnitude of difficulty handling conversational aspects. ConclusionResults support comprehensive communication skills training for ESRD patients awaiting kidney transplantation. Practice implicationsPotential topics to be included in such training are discussed.

Succession Planning Gives Women a Shot at Leadership

Succession Planning Gives Women a Shot at Leadership

The implementation and assessment of a comprehensive communication skills training curriculum for oncologists

The objective of this paper is to report the implementation and assessment of the Comskil Training Curriculum at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Twenty-eight attending physicians and surgeons participated in communication skills training modules as part of a train-the-trainer program. Doctors were video recorded in clinical consultations with patients two times before training and two times after training, resulting in 112 video recordings for analysis. Recordings were coded using the Comskil Coding System. Communication skills related to two of the six major skill sets, Establishing the Consultation Framework and Checking, increased following training. Limited changes emerged in three skill sets, while one skill set, Shared Decision Making, did not change. Doctors who attended more training modules had higher levels of change. Female participants demonstrated three skills more frequently than males post-training. The intervention produced significant communication skills uptake in a group of experienced attending clinicians, mediated by the amount of training. Future research should focus on the dose of training necessary to achieve skills uptake and the effect of skills training on patient outcomes.

Assessing facilitator competence in a comprehensive communication skills training programme

Evidence suggests that the most important component of communication skills training (CST) is experiential learning through role-play sessions that rely on facilitators to guide learners. However, there is little published evidence about processes of assessing facilitator competence in CST. This paper reports on the development and application of procedures to assess facilitator competence in a large-scale CST programme. Thirty-two novice facilitators in a large CST programme were audio-recorded while facilitating small-group CST training sessions in order to explore whether the training they had received had prepared them to competently facilitate. Audio-recordings were assessed using the Comskil facilitator assessment coding system. Facilitators were rated as having achieved basic competence, advanced competence or expert competence. Facilitation tasks that were most frequently coded as being used always included inviting the learner to give feedback first and inviting all group members to give feedback. The facilitation task coded least frequently as being used always was involving group members in solving problems. Of the 32 facilitators, 18 reached at least a basic level of competence. Psychosocially trained facilitators and MD facilitators differed in their use of five facilitation tasks. Modest training and minimal practice does not result in complete facilitator competence. Some facilitation skills appear to be more easily acquired than others. These findings highlight which skills should be prioritised in the further training of novice facilitators. A long-term project currently underway will study whether facilitator competence improves with practice and regular feedback.

Use of the OSCE to Evaluate Brief Communication Skills Training for Dental Students

Although communications competency is recommended by the American Dental Education Association, only a few (n=5) dental schools report evaluating students' skills using a competency examination for communication. This study used an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate dental students' competency in interpersonal and tobacco cessation communication skills. All students were evaluated on their interpersonal communication skills at baseline and at six months post-OSCE by standardized patients and on their tobacco cessation communication skills by two independent raters. First- and second-year dental students (n=104) were randomized to a control or intervention group. One month after the baseline OSCE, students in the intervention group participated in a two-hour training session in which faculty members communicated with a standardized patient during a head and neck examination and counseled the patient about tobacco cessation. There were no statistically significant differences from baseline to post-test between the intervention and control group students as measured by the OSCE. However, among first-year students, both the intervention (n=23) and control (n=21) groups significantly increased in tobacco cessation communication scores. Second-year students in both intervention (n=24) and control (n=28) groups declined in interpersonal communication skills from baseline to post-test. Overall, this one-shot intervention was not successful, and results suggest that a comprehensive communication skills training course may be more beneficial than a single, brief training session for improving dental students' communication skills.

A Comprehensive Communication Skills Program in a Four-Year Pharmacy Curriculum

A Comprehensive Communication Skills Program in a Four-Year Pharmacy Curriculum