Patient perceptions of allied health student communication and interpersonal skills: A cross-sectional study

Nicholas Tripodi; Sarah Cossar; Jessica Davidson; Ryan Farmer; Jessica Gorbonos; Amelia McDonald; Melanie Pierlot

doi:10.11157/fohpe.v22i3.454

Authors

Nicholas Tripodi Victoria University http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5062-0409
Sarah Cossar Victoria University
Jessica Davidson Victoria University
Ryan Farmer Victoria University
Jessica Gorbonos Victoria University
Amelia McDonald Victoria University
Melanie Pierlot Victoria University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11157/fohpe.v22i3.454

Keywords:

practitioner communication, allied health education, communication assessment tool, communication skills, health outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: Effective patient–practitioner communication contributes to patient health outcomes by strengthening therapeutic relationships and, in the process, contributing to overall quality of patient care. Despite the growth of student-led university teaching clinics, little research has investigated communication skills within this context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the patient-perceived levels of communication and interpersonal skills within a student-led allied health clinic.

Methods: The Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) was used to collect cross-sectional data on patients’ perceptions of student communication and interpersonal skills within an osteopathy teaching clinic. Data were analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: According to the CAT, patients perceived the students’ communication and interpersonal skills to be “excellent” overall (97.2%). No significant differences were found between percentage of “excellent” responses and gender (p = .600), number of consultations (p = .374) or pain duration (p = .741).

Conclusions: Patients in this setting perceive student communication and interpersonal skills to be of a high standard. This can contribute positively to the patient–practitioner therapeutic alliance and may improve overall health outcomes. These findings have implications for communication training within student-led health professions clinics and tertiary curricula more broadly.

References

Anhang Price, R., Elliott, M. N., Zaslavsky, A. M., Hays, R. D., Lehrman, W. G., Rybowski, L., Edgman-Levitan, S., & Cleary, P. D. (2014). Examining the role of patient experience surveys in measuring health care quality. Medical Care Research and Review, 71(5), 522–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558714541480

Black, N., Varaganum, M., & Hutchings, A. (2014). Relationship between patient reported experience (PREMs) and patient reported outcomes (PROMs) in elective surgery. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23(7), 534–542. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002707

Boissy, A., Windover, A. K., Bokar, D., Karafa, M., Neuendorf, K., Frankel, R. M., Merlino, J., & Rothberg, M. B. (2016). Communication skills training for physicians improves patient satisfaction. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31(7), 755–761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3597-2

Carrigan, N., Rodger, S., & Copley, J. (2001). Parent satisfaction with a paediatric occupational therapy service: A pilot investigation. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 21(1), 51–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/J006v21n01_05

DeBlasio, D., Real, F. J., Ollberding, N. J., & Klein, M. D. (2019). Provision of parent feedback via the Communication Assessment Tool: Does it improve resident communication skills? Academic Pediatrics, 19(2), 152–156.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2018.06.013

Deveugele, M. (2015). Communication training: Skills and beyond. Patient Education and Counseling, 98(10), 1287–1291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2015.08.011

Dunsch, F., Evans, D. K., Macis, M., & Wang, Q. (2018). Bias in patient satisfaction surveys: A threat to measuring healthcare quality. BMJ Global Health, 3(2), e000694. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000694

Hojat, M., DeSantis, J., & Gonnella, J. S. (2017). Patient perceptions of clinician’s empathy: Measurement and psychometrics. Journal of Patient Experience, 4(2), 78–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373517699273

Kingsley, C., & Patel, S. (2017). Patient-reported outcome measures and patient-reported experience measures. BJA Education, 17(4), 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaed/mkw060

Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. V. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Mater Sociomed, 26(1), 65–67. https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2014.26.65-67

Leach, C. J., Mandy, A., Hankins, M., Bottomley, L. M., Cross, V., Fawkes, C. A., Fiske, A., & Moore, A. P. (2013). Patients’ expectations of private osteopathic care in the UK: A national survey of patients. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 13(1), Article 122. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-13-122

Makoul, G., Krupat, E., & Chang, C.-H. (2007). Measuring patient views of physician communication skills: Development and testing of the Communication Assessment Tool. Patient Education and Counseling, 67(3), 333–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2007.05.005

Mauksch, L. B., Dugdale, D. C., Dodson, S., & Epstein, R. (2008). Relationship, communication, and efficiency in the medical encounter: Creating a clinical model from a literature review. Archives of Internal Medicine, 168(13), 1387–1395. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.168.13.1387

Mercer, L. M., Tanabe, P., Pang, P. S., Gisondi, M. A., Courtney, D. M., Engel, K. G., Donlan, S. M., Adams, J. G., & Makoul, G. (2008). Patient perspectives on communication with the medical team: Pilot study using the Communication Assessment Tool-Team (CAT-T). Patient Education and Counseling, 73(2), 220–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2008.07.003

Muddle, L., O'Malley, C. J., & Stupans, I. (2019). Learning and teaching of patient-centred communication skills in allied healthcare manual therapy students: A systematic review. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 32, 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2019.04.002

Myerholtz, L., Simons, L., Felix, S., Nguyen, T., Brennan, J., Rivera-Tovar, A., Martin, P., Hepworth, J., & Makoul, G. (2010). Using the communication assessment tool in family medicine residency programs. Family Medicine, 42(8), 567–573. https://fammedarchives.blob.core.windows.net/imagesandpdfs/pdfs/FamilyMedicineVol42Issue8Myerholtz567.pdf

O'Keeffe, M., Cullinane, P., Hurley, J., Leahy, I., Bunzli, S., O'Sullivan, P. B., & O'Sullivan, K. (2016). What influences patient–therapist interactions in musculoskeletal physical therapy? Qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis. Physical Therapy, 96(5), 609–622. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20150240

O'Toole, G. (2020). Communication-eBook: Core interpersonal skills for healthcare professionals. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Osteopathy Australia. (2018). Statement of scope of practice in osteopathy. http://www.theosteopath.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/data_Scope_of_practice_in_Osteopathy_2018_FINAL-1.pdf

Pestana-Santos, A., Loureiro, L., Santos, V., & Carvalho, I. (2018). Patients with schizophrenia assessing psychiatrists’ communication skills. Psychiatry Research, 269, 13–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.040

Pinto, R. Z., Ferreira, M. L., Oliveira, V. C., Franco, M. R., Adams, R., Maher, C. G., & Ferreira, P. H. (2012). Patient-centred communication is associated with positive therapeutic alliance: A systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy, 58(2), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1836-9553(12)70087-5

Salisbury, C., Burgess, A., Lattimer, V., Heaney, D., Walker, J., Turnbull, J., & Smith, H. (2005). Developing a standard short questionnaire for the assessment of patient satisfaction with out-of-hours primary care. Family Practice, 22(5), 560–569. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmi050

Stausmire, J. M., Cashen, C. P., Myerholtz, L., & Buderer, N. (2015). Measuring general surgery residents' communication skills from the patient's perspective using the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT). Journal of Surgical Education, 72(1), 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2014.06.021

Street, R. L., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). How does communication heal? Pathways linking clinician–patient communication to health outcomes. Patient Education and Counseling, 74(3), 295–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2008.11.015

Thomson, O. P., & Collyer, K. (2017). "Talking a different language": A qualitative study of chronic low back pain patients' interpretation of the language used by student osteopaths. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 24, 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2016.11.002

Vaughan, B., Burns, C., Burridge, L., Wigger, J., Blair, S., & Mulcahy, J. (2019). Patient satisfaction and perception of treatment in a student-led osteopathy teaching clinic: Evaluating questionnaire dimensionality and internal structure, and outcomes. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 31, 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2019.01.002

Vermeir, P., Vandijck, D., Degroote, S., Peleman, R., Verhaeghe, R., Mortier, E., Hallaert, G., Van Daele, S., Buylaert, W., & Vogelaers, D. (2015). Communication in healthcare: A narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 69(11), 1257–1267. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.12686

Vogel, D., Meyer, M., & Harendza, S. (2018). Verbal and non-verbal communication skills including empathy during history taking of undergraduate medical students. BMC Medical Education, 18(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1260-9

Yu, M. X., Jiang, X. Y., Li, Y. J., Shen, Z. Y., Zhuang, S. Q., & Gu, Y. F. (2018). Evaluation of medical record quality and communication skills among pediatric interns after standardized parent training history-taking in China. Medical Teacher, 40(2), 188–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2017.1395833