Effectiveness of a three-day communication skills course in changing nurses’ communication skills with cancer/palliative care patients: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

This multi-centre, two-armed parallel-group pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the effectiveness of a 3-day communication skills course in changing nurses’ communication skills. The primary outcome was the change in the nurses’ communication skills score from pre-course to 12 weeks post-course. The main secondary outcome was the change in the nurses’ level of confidence in communicating with patients. A total of 172 nurses were randomised to the course or control. The communication skills score for the intervention group increased by 3.4 points post-course but decreased in the control by 0.05 points (between-group difference in change: 3.41, 95% CI: 2.16–4.66, P < 0.001). Confidence scores increased by 18.16 points for the intervention group but decreased 0.7 points in the control (between-group difference in change: 18.86, 95% CI: 13.39–24.34, P < 0.001). This RCT contributes to the evidence base on the effectiveness of communication skills training in cancer and palliative care.

Keywords

cancer communication skills training nurses oncology palliative care RCT

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

2 Kennedy-Sheldon L . Communication in oncology care: the effectiveness of skills training workshops for healthcare providers. Clin J Oncol Nurs 2005; 9: 305–312.

4 Department of Health . The NHS cancer plan. London: Department of Health; 2000.

5 Butow PN Brown RF Cogar S Tattersall MHN Dunn SM . Oncologists’ reactions to cancer patients’ verbal cues. Psychooncology 2002; 11: 47–58.

6 Cantwell BM Ramirez AJ . Doctor-patient communication: a study of junior house officers. Med Educ 1997; 31: 17–21.

7 Fallowfield L Jenkins V . Effective communication skills are the key to good cancer care. Eur J Cancer 1999; 35: 1592–1597.

8 Taylor C Graham J Potts H Candy J Richards M Ramirez AJ . Impact of hospital consultants’ poor mental health on patient care. Br J Psychiatry 2007; 190: 268–269.

9 Fellowes D Wilkinson S Moore P . Communication skills training for health care professionals working with cancer patients, their families and/or carers. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2004; 2: CD003751.

10.

10 Fallowfield L Jenkins V Farewell V Saul J Duffy A Eves R . Efficacy of a cancer research UK communication skills training model for oncologists: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2002; 359: 650–656.

11.

11 Fallowfield L Jenkins V Farewell V Solis-Trapala I . Enduring impact of communication skills training: results of a 12-month follow-up. Br J Cancer 2003; 89: 1445–1449.

12.

12 Razavi D Delvaux N Marchal S Bredart A Farvacques C Paesmans M . The effects of a 24-h psychological training program on attitudes, communication skills and occupational stress in oncology: a randomised study. Eur J Cancer 1993; 29A: 1858–1863.

13.

13 Razavi D Delvaux N Marchal S Durieux JF Farvacques C Dubus L . Does training increase the use of more emotionally laden words by nurses when talking with cancer patients? A randomised study. Br J Cancer 2002; 87: 1–7.

14.

14 Cancer Research UK . Marie Curie Cancer Care. NHSU CT2 NHS cancer plan – advanced communication skills training programme. London: Department of Health; 2002.

15.

15 Knowles M . The adult learner: a neglected species. Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing; 1978.

16.

16 Freire P . Pedagogy of the oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin; 1972.

17.

17 Rogers CR . Freedom to learn for the 80s. Columbus: Merrill; 1983.

18.

18 Wilkinson S . Factors which influence how nurses communicate with cancer patients. J Adv Nurs 1991; 16: 677–688.

19.

19 Wilkinson S; . Factors influencing nurses’ verbal communication with cancer patients. Unpublished PhD thesis: University of Manchester; 1991.

20.

20 Wilkinson S Roberts A Aldridge J . Nurse-patient communication in palliative care: an evaluation of a communication skills programme. Palliat Med 1998; 12: 13–22.

21.

21 Wilkinson S Bailey K Aldridge J Roberts A . A longitudinal evaluation of a communication skills programme. Palliat Med 1999; 13: 341–348.

22.

22 Wilkinson SM Leliopoulou C Gambles M Roberts A . Can intensive three-day programmes improve nurses' communication skills in cancer care? Psychooncology 2003; 12: 747–759.

23.

23 Forrest D . Analysis of nurses’ verbal communication with patients. Nurs pap 1983; 15: 48–57.

24.

25.

25 Fallowfield L Saul J Gilligan B . Teaching senior nurses how to teach communication skills in oncology. Cancer Nurs 2001; 24: 185–191.

26.

26 Spielberger CD Gorsuch RL Lushene RE Vaag PR Jacobs GA . Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory STAI (Form Y). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1983.

27.

27 Goldberg D Williams P . A user’s guide to the general health questionnaire. Windsor: NFER-Wilson; 1988.

28.

28 Kruijver IP Kerkstra A Francke AL Bensing JM van de Wiel HB . Evaluation of communication training programs in nursing care: a review of the literature. Patient Educ Couns 2000; 39: 129–145.

29.

29 Finset A Ekeberg O Eide H Aspegren K . Long term benefits of communication skills training for cancer doctors. Psychooncology 2003; 12: 686–693.

30.

30 Razavi D Merckaert I Marchal S Libert Y Conradt S Boniver J . How to optimize physicians’ communication skills in cancer care: results of a randomized study assessing the usefulness of posttraining consolidation workshops. J Clin Oncol 2003; 21: 3141–3149.

31.

31 Wilkinson SM Gambles M Roberts A . The essence of cancer care: the impact of training on nurses’ ability to communicate effectively. J Adv Nurs 2002; 40: 731–738.

32.

32 Baile WF Kudelka AP Beale EA Glober GA Myers EG Greisinger AJ . Communication skills training in oncology. Description and preliminary outcomes of workshops on breaking bad news and managing patient reactions to illness. Cancer 1999; 86: 887–897.