Incorporating Supplemental Patient-Centered Communication Training in DPT Programs to Improve Clinical Performance

Research Objectives: To determine if supplemental patient-centered communication training will improve Doctor of Physical Therapy students’ perceived competence with patient communication.

Design: Our study was a prospective observational cohort design to assess the effectiveness of supplemental patient-centered communication training on second year Doctor of Physical Therapy students.

Setting: University setting

Participants: We recruited first year DPT students during the summer semester to participate in a two-hour supplemental patient-centered communication training session. Participants had completed their first two semesters of physical therapy program.

Interventions: The training program was based on a professionalism e-module from the APTA Learning Center. The module used is PTAESIG: Modeling Professional Behaviors: Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Management. Multimedia, role-playing, peer feedback and discussion were the main focus throughout the session. We used video vignettes from the e-module’s faculty resource Physiou as the multimedia component to illustrate effective versus ineffective communication methods. We addressed the importance of emotional intelligence, patient-centered communication, evidence supporting the importance of communication in physical therapy practice.

Main Outcome Measures: Participants were given a 10 question pre and post test survey to gauge the perceived effectiveness of the supplemental communication training and their comfort level with various aspects of communication in a clinical setting. Participants rated each statement on the survey on a scale from strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree.

Results: The difference between the total pre and post test scores was found to be significant at an alpha level p< 0.05. The results from question 2 and 3 on the survey, which had to do with perceived preparedness for clinical communication, were also found to be statistically significant. Also, a high percentage of participants (76.9%) selected “strongly agree” on the pretest when asked if they felt a supplemental communication training would be beneficial before their first clinical experience.

Conclusions: Supplemental communication training is a promising way to improve student’s communication skills by increasing their confidence, thus enabling student physical therapists to incorporate the biopsychosocial model within their practice at an early stage.

Author(s) Disclosures: No disclosures