Efficacy of Communication Skill Training on Knowledge and Skill of Nursing Students in Conveying Diagnosis to Patients with Cancer: A Pilot Study Approach

Abstract Introduction  Procuring communication skills that enable nurses to be effective yet person-centeredness is increasingly a hallmark of quality cancer care. The growing importance of patient outcomes and experiences in health care may mean that communication skill training is finally getting the attention it so clearly deserves. Objectives  The main objectives of the study were to assess the efficacy of communication skill training on knowledge and skills of nursing students in conveying diagnosis to patients with cancer. Materials and Methods  Quasi-experimental pretest–posttest with control group research design was adopted for the study. A total of 32 third-year BSc nursing students (intervention group, 16; control group, 16) were selected by nonprobability purposive sampling technique from two selected colleges at Mangaluru. Baseline proforma, self-administered knowledge questionnaire, and breaking bad news assessment schedule were used for data collection. Tools were validated by 11 subject experts. Communication skill training was provided for 8 hours (2 hours of theory and 6 hours of skill training on conveying diagnosis). A blinding method was adopted to assess the skill of the students that enable to avoid subjectivity. Results  The mean age of participants in the intervention group was 20.56 and of participants in the control group was 20.94. All participants (100%) of both the intervention and control groups were females. The results showed there was a significant difference found in knowledge scores ( t  = 8.52, p  = 0.000) between the intervention and control groups after the intervention. There was a significant improvement found in conveying diagnosis skills among students between the intervention and control groups in different time periods. There was a slight positive correlation found between pretest knowledge scores and eliciting concerns domain of conveying diagnosis skill ( r  = 0.57, p  = 0.023). Conclusion  The study results revealed that communication skill training session was very effective for improving the knowledge and skills of students, and it enables them in providing quality care to patients with cancer through effective communication.