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.
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Wilkinson 2008 had a unique methodological issue whereby intervention nurses selected tapes to be assessed for quality of consultation process.
“It had a unique a methodological issue whereby of several videotapes of patient visits, intervention nurses selected tapes to be assessed for quality of consultation process.”
From Interventions for providers to promote a patient-centred approach in clinical consultations (2012) · cites this paper as Wilkinson 2008
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Interventions for providers to promote a patient-centred approach in clinical consultations
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What are the effective elements in patient-centered and multimorbidity care? A scoping review
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- Authors
- Wilkinson, S., Perry, R., Blanchard, K., & Linsell, L.
- Affiliations
- The Royal Free Hospital (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Wilkinson, S
- ORCID
- Linsell, L
- Venue
- Palliative Medicine
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-06
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 365-375
- ISSN
- 0269-2163 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-030X
- OpenAlex
- W2128301393
- Cited by
- 157
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 9.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Palliative Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Marie Curie
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Keywords
- nurse-patient communication, communication skills training, nurses, cancer patients, palliative care, communication confidence, communication skills course
- MeSH terms
- Clinical Competence, Communication, Education, Nursing, Female, Humans, Male, Neoplasms, Nurse-Patient Relations, Palliative Care
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