THE IMPACT OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS TRAINING ON RESPONSES TO PATIENTS' EMOTIONAL CONCERNS BY NURSING STAFF IN A GENERAL HOSPITAL.
Contributors: University of Georgia.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 159
Subjects: Education, Guidance and Counseling.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study was designed to investigate the impact of interpersonal skills training on nursing responses to patients' emotional concerns. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether there is a change in learners' knowledge, performance, and application of facilitative communication skills following training.

The treatment intervention was the interpersonal skills training program, "A Step Ahead in Caring," developed by Dr. William C. Childers and based on a Carkhuff-type model.

Thirteen nursing staff members in a general hospital completed the twelve-hour training over a two-week period. A control group of twelve subjects was used. Both groups contained registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing assistants.

An experimental pretest-posttest control group with repeated measures design has used. Changes in knowledge, performance, and application of facilitative skills were measured by the Index of Responding, Form N (Gazda, Childers, & Walters, 1982), a videotaped standard role play, and audiotaped observations of nurse-patient interaction, respectively. The Index of Responding and a standard role play were administered to both treatment and control groups before training, after training and seven weeks following training. Nurse-patient interactions were recorded for the treatment group only as pre, post, and follow-up tests. Responses were rated by two independent raters using the Scale for Global Rating of Responses (Gazda, Walters, & Childers, 1975, 1982). Satisfactory interrater and intrarater reliability were established.

Written and videotaped response ratings were subjected to analysis of variance for repeated measures procedures. A correlated t-test was applied to audiotaped response ratings. Intercorrelations between and among all measures were calculated. There was a significant difference between pre and post-test ratings of knowledge. The gains were not maintained over a seven-week period. There was no significant change in subjects' skill performance in role play.

Treatment group subjects demonstrated application of skills in clinical practice following training. Subjects continued to apply seven weeks after training. Although there were statistically significant changes in the application of skills, the overall level of skill was low. The evidence seems to indicate that while subjects did apply skills to patient care following training, the level of skill should be higher.

Intercorrelations among and between measures were inconclusive, with significant correlations between measures of: (1) knowledge and application of skills immediately after training, and (2) the written measure and role play on the pretest and posttest.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-04, Section: A, page: 0732.

Thesis (ED.D)--UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, 1987.

School code: 0077.