The use of a rating instrument to teach and assess communication skills of health-care workers in a clinic in the Western Cape.

Abstract

Research in health communication shows communication to be an important aspect of successful health-care. Moreover, training courses which provide feedback have been shown to improve health professionals' ability to conduct successful interviews. This article describes a rating instrument which was developed in order to facilitate teaching and assessing the communication aspects of health-care interviews. The instrument was found to be useful in a training programme offered to nursing staff of a TB Clinic in Mitchells Plain, Western Cape. The instrument appears as Table 1. In the Table categories of communication behaviours, each indicating an important aspect of the interaction, are given as the six headings. These are: establishing rapport and respect listening receptively confirming the patient sharing control informing effectively and checking perceptions. Within each category the more detailed specific behaviours are listed, allowing for close analysis of a care-giver's interviewing skill. The article briefly discusses the importance in effective communication between the care-giver and patient of each category of behaviours given in the instrument, supported by evidence from research. Lastly the article describes a "case study" on how the instrument has been successfully used in a training programme.