Background: The aim of the study was to confirm the validity and reliability of the Observation Scheme-12, a measurement tool for rating clinical communication skills. Methods: The study is a sub-study of an intervention study using audio recordings to assess the outcome of communication skills training. This paper describes the methods used to validate the assessment tool Observation Scheme-12 by operationalizing the crude 5-point scale into specific elements described in a codebook. Reliability was tested by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficients for interrater and intrarater reliability. Results: The validation of the Observation Scheme-12 produced a rating tool with 12 items. Each item has 0 to 5 described micro-skills. For each item, the codebook described the criteria for delivering a rating from 0 to 4 depending on how successful the different micro-skills (or number of used jargon words) was accomplished. Testing reliability for the overall score intraclass correlation coefficients was 0.74 for interrater reliability and 0.86 for intrarater reliability. An intraclass correlation coefficient greater than 0.5 was observed for 10 of 12 items. Conclusion: The development of a codebook as a supplement to the assessment tool Observation Scheme-12 enables an objective rating of audiotaped clinical communication with acceptable reliability. The Observation Scheme-12 can be used to assess communication skills based on the Calgary-Cambridge Guide.
Communication between patients and health care providers is a key component for an effective health care system, and patients are increasingly asking for individualized and personalized care and treatment. 1 Providing patient-centered care and treatment requires a fundamental knowledge of the patient, not only learning about biomedical aspects but also about the person behind the disease. 2,3 Consequently, patientcentered communication is required to elicit a patient's experiences, needs, values, and preferences. 4 Patient-centered communication is defined differently by experts, 4,5 but the central idea is that treatment and care depends on knowing the patient as a person. 6 The core elements of this approach to patient care are characterized by addressing the patient's perspective, understanding the patient's psychosocial context, and agreement on a shared plan for treatment and care. 7 Studies have shown associations between patientcentered communication and positive health outcomes, 7-10 increased patient satisfaction, 11,12 reduced medical expenditures, 13,14 and prevention of malpractice litigation. 15,16 Previous research has demonstrated that patient-centered communication can be learned through communication skills training, 17,18 that it improves health care provider (HCP) self-efficacy in patientcentered communication, 19 and patients' perception of PurposeWe hypothesized that health care providers would behave in a more patient-centered manner after the implementation of communication skills training, without causing the consultation to last longer. MethodsThis study was part of the large-scale implementation of a communication skills training program called "Clear-Cut Communication With Patients" at Lillebaelt Hospital in Denmark. Audio recordings from real-life consultations were collected in a pre-post design, with health care providers' participation in communication skills training as the intervention. The training was based on the Calgary-Cambridge Guide, and audio recordings were rated using the Observation Scheme-12. ResultsHealth care providers improved their communication behavior in favor of being more patient-centered.Results were tested using a mixed-effect model and showed significant differences between pre-and postintervention assessments, with a coefficient of 1.3 (95% Cl: 0.35-2.3; P=0.01) for the overall score. The consultations did not last longer after the training. ConclusionsHealth care providers improved their communication in patient consultations after the implementation of a large-scale patient-centered communication skills training program based on the Calgary-Cambridge Guide. This did not affect the length of the consultations.
Objective: The aim of this study was to further develop and test The Activity Barometer (TAB) as a tool for measuring patient participation in clinical consultations. Methods: The tool was further developed and tested by double coding 18 audio recordings from consultations between nurses and patients and by qualitative discussions between 3 raters. The raters discussed the face and content validity of the tool and the inter-rater reliability was calculated. To assess the construct validity, it was hypothesised that the tool could be used to expose a difference in the patients’ participation before and after the nurses had participated in communication skills training. This was assessed based on 31 audio recordings. Results: All of the 3 raters found the items relevant for measuring patient participation. However, to get reliable ratings, an extended guide for coding was necessary. According to the content validity, we found that by taking a treatment-oriented perspective, core components of patient participation were not included in the tool. To capture the whole concept, the coding should be done from a holistic perspective, including the patients’ everyday life. The inter-rater reliability for the total score (0.85), the questions (0.92) and the preferences/concerns (0.6) were all above acceptable thresholds. The construct validation showed that the tool could expose differences in the patients’ participation before and after the nurses had participated in the communication skills training. Conclusion: TAB is a promising tool for measuring patient participation. However, further validation of the tool in a larger sample is recommended prior to its use in research settings.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.