Implementation and Preliminary Evaluation of a Therapeutic Communication Educational Module for Nursing Trainees in a Low-Resource Setting

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Abstract Introduction Therapeutic communication is the basis of nursing care yet it has been considered so stressful by student nurses with only 3.5% of nursing students in Kampala Uganda exhibiting optimum therapeutic communication competence. This has been attributed to inadequate training. Faculty must explore means to impart these skills in nursing students. This study implemented and evaluated an educational intervention module on therapeutic communication skills for nurses for incorporation into their teaching learning activities. Methods A one-group pre–post quasi-experimental study was conducted with 41 diploma extension nursing students, selected via census sampling. Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires (content validity = 0.98; Cronbach’s α = 0.96), on students’ knowledge and perceived confidence in performing therapeutic communication. Observation checklists were used to evaluate students’ ability to establish nurse–patient relationships and deliver bad news in the skills lab, both before and after the intervention. Results There was a significant improvement of knowledge scores from 4 (IQR: 3, 5) to 8.0 (IQR: 7.0, 9.0), (P value <0.001); perceived confidence in practicing therapeutic communication scores from 144.0 (IQR: 136.0, 153.0) to 164.0 (IQR: 155.0, 174.0) (P value <0.001); ability to initiate a nurse-patient relationship from 12.0 (IQR: 10.0, 14.0) to 17.0 (15.0, 18.0) (P value <0.001); and the ability to break bad news to the patient/caretaker from 9.0 (IQR: 7.0, 12.0) to 16.0 (14.0, 18.0) (P value <0.001) after the intervention. All scores improved in all categories of sex, program and semester of study for all participants apart from participants in the first semester of study. Conclusion This study offers preliminary evidence that the educational intervention improves nursing students’ therapeutic communication skills. Further longitudinal research is needed to assess the sustained effectiveness of the module, the teaching methods used, and patients’ perspectives on students’ TC competence.

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