A preliminary study of the effectiveness of cancer communication skills training for interdisciplinary staff

Tsui Hsia Hsu, I. Chuan Li*, Chun Kai Fang, Woung Ru Tang, Chih Tsun Lin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Studies have emphasized that the disclosure of a diagnosis and prognosis is the doctor’s responsibility, but little attention has been given to the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation. Objective: Therefore, this study examined and compared the effectiveness of cancer communication skills training (CST) for doctors and interdisciplinary staff in Taiwan. Methods: This study utilized a quasi-experimental design. The participants were 124 oncology professionals who participated in cancer CST. These 124 professionals included a group of 65 doctors and a group of 59 interdisciplinary professionals, both of which received the same CST. After the participants have received CST, the changes in their disease disclosure skills were evaluated. Results: Significant pretest-posttest differences were observed in the overall truth-telling scores for both groups (doctors: t = 6.94, P < 0.001; interdisciplinary professionals: t = 7.71, P < 0.001) and in different constructs. However, in many items, the doctors demonstrated no progress after receiving the training (P > 0.05), whereas the interdisciplinary professionals demonstrated significant progress (P < 0.05). In particular, the doctors’ scores for ‘disclosing information in a monotonous tone’ showed significant retrogression (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the overall truth-telling scores of the two groups with regard to pre- and post-CST (P > 0.05 and P > 0.05, respectively), and there were also no significant differences in the four sub-scales’ scores. Conclusion: The CST for interdisciplinary professionals improved their cooperation and communication skills.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)734-742
Number of pages9
JournalJapanese Journal of Clinical Oncology
Volume49
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 01 08 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Communication skills training
  • Interdisciplinary staff
  • Oncology
  • Pretest-posttest design
  • Two-group design

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