Background: Nurses are expected to have keen observation skills to monitor inpatient conditions and good communication skills to facilitate doctor-inpatient communications. Communication skills are thus a core attribute required of professional nurses.
Purpose: This study explored the effectiveness of a scenario-based communication course on increasing the self-confidence of novice nurses in communicating with inpatients.
Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study design based on non-random cluster sampling and tests were administered on 118 novice nurses with less than one year of clinical experience at one of three training hospitals in Taipei City. The control group (nurses working at hospitals A and B) received a two-hour standard course in communications; The experimental group (nurses working at hospital C) received a three-hour scenario-based communications course. Data was provided by subjects via a self-rated scale that assessed respondent self-confidence in communicating with inpatients. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical software package for Microsoft Windows (version 17.0).
Results: Results of a dependent paired t-test show that average posttest scores for both groups were significantly higher (p<.001) than average pretest scores. This demonstrated that both interventions were effective raising nurse confidence with inpatient communications. An ANCOVA showed no significant difference (p=.14) in average self-rated Confidence in Communication Scale scores between the two groups (experimental: 48.92, SD=5.04; control: 48.18, SD=5.14).
Conclusions: Findings suggest the positive effect of both courses in increasing nurse confidence in communicating with inpatients. The scenario-based communications course was no more effective than the ordinary classroom communications course in making nurses more confident in communicating with inpatients.