Communication competence in the management of aggressive patient behaviour
Conditions
Interventions
Study Setting
This single-site trial will be conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo in collaboration with Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH).
Participants will be recrui
Sponsors
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: • Registered nurse currently working in a clinical setting at SJGH. • Minimum of one year of continuous employment at SJGH. • Actively engaged in patient care activities during the study period. • Nurses of any age (no age restrictions) • Both male and female nurses • Willing to participate in the full intervention programme (4 and half hours) and follow-up assessments.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: • Currently on extended leave (e.g., maternity leave, long-term medical leave). • Nurses primarily engaged in administrative or non-clinical roles (e.g., nurse educators, ward managers with no direct patient contact). • Prior participation in similar health communication training within the last 6 months. • Inability to commit to both pre-test and post-test assessments due to shift constraints. • Nurses who participated in earlier phases of this research study (i.e., Phase I or II of the exploratory study) (to avoid response bias and prior exposure effects that may influence the outcomes.)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The primary outcome of this study is the effectiveness of the instructional sequence of lecture followed by role play versus role play followed by lecture for a single teaching and learning session on nurses’ health communication competence in managing aggressive patients empathetically in a selected tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka. The effectiveness of the instructional sequence will be measured by the immediate change in health communication competence in managing aggressive patients among nurses following the teaching–learning intervention. Health communication competence will be measured using: 1.Health Communication Knowledge o Tool: 30 Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) test oScoring: Total score based on correct answers oPurpose: To assess theoretical knowledge on empathetic communication in managing aggressive patients 2.Health Communication Skills oTool: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) oScoring: Predefined structured checklist focusing on: - Empathetic communication - De-escalation skills - Active listening - Verbal and non-verbal communication oPurpose: To assess observed communication performance •MCQs will be scored by research assistants blinded to group allocation •OSCEs will be assessed by trained independent examiners blinded to group allocation •All assessments will be conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo, under controlled and standardized conditions Analysis Metric for Each Participant •Change in MCQ score = Post-test – Pre-test •Change in OSCE score = Post-test – Pre-test Summary Measure for Each Study Group •Mean change in MCQ scores (RL vs LR) •Mean change in OSCE scores (RL vs LR) Analysis Strategy The difference in mean health communication competence between the two groups across pre-test and post-test will be compared using Mixed (Factorial) ANOVA to determine the effect of instructional sequence [Time Points of Assessment •Baseline: Pre-intervention (MCQ + OSCE) •I | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Secondary outcome of this study is Post One-month change in Health Communication Competence in managing aggressive patients among nurses following the teaching–learning intervention. Secondary Outcome Measurement Health communication competence following one month will be measured using the same objective tools as the primary outcome: 1.Health Communication Knowledge o Tool: 30-item Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) test o Outcome measure: Total MCQ score 2.Health Communication Skills o Tool: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) o Outcome measure: Total OSCE score based on a standardized checklist • MCQs will be scored by research assistants blinded to group allocation • OSCEs will be assessed by trained independent examiners blinded to group allocation • All assessments will be conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo, under standardized conditions Summary Measure for Each Study Group • Mean change in MCQ scores from post-test to one-month follow-up (RL vs. LR) • Mean change in OSCE scores from post-test to one-month follow-up (RL vs. LR) Analysis Strategy The difference in mean health communication competence between the two groups across post-test and one-month follow-up will be compared using Mixed (Factorial) ANOVA to determine whether the instructional sequence has a differential sustained effect. [Time Point of Assessment • Follow-up: One month after the intervention (MCQ + OSCE) ] | — |
Countries
Sri Lanka
Contacts
Public ContactMs .Shereen Senarathne
Lecturer
Outcome results
None listed