Abstract
This paper formulates and hypothetically develops a research project for publication in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. The project that has been developed relates to how communication skills training for nursing professionals can be used to improve patient satisfaction with the quality of care provided in inpatient settings.
Introduction
The research project will be submitted to the “Journal of Advanced Nursing” due to the journal’s commitment to advance knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues facing professional nurses in work-related contexts (Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2016).
Additionally, the level of credibility attached to the journal is high due to its stringent peer review mechanisms and focus on sound scientific, theoretical, or philosophical research papers. Lastly, the journal has a huge impact factor, as witnessed by numerous citations of articles published in the nursing journal by other scholars and professionals (van Teijlingen & Hundley, 2002).
The Journal of Advanced Nursing accepts papers that are consistent with the APA formatting guidelines and relevant to the promotion of contemporary nursing perspectives. The papers must also not only adhere to the standards of journalistic integrity and excellence but also have a clear scope on the issues addressed and the methodologies used by the researchers to arrive at their conclusions. Papers that are accepted for publication include clinical reviews/application papers, quality improvement studies, original research, systematic reviews, and letters to the editor (Information for Authors, 2016). The general rule is that such papers must add scientific value to the nursing profession and/or apply evidence-based practice in addressing various nursing issues.
Research Steps
Title of Project
The title of the project is “An Investigation of how Communication skills Training for Nursing Professionals Improves Patient Satisfaction Outcomes in Inpatient Settings.”
Problem Statement
Although effective communication has been associated with positive patient outcomes such as increased satisfaction with care and compliance with treatment and management interventions, patients in healthcare settings continue to experience serious communication challenges in their relationships with nursing professionals and other healthcare providers (Findik, Unsar, & Sut, 2010). The result is that patients become dissatisfied with the care provided by health professionals, leading to problems such as noncompliance with care, treatment apathy, negative attitudes on care plans, and inability to contribute in making decisions that affect their health (Johnson, Gorman, Morse, Firth, & Rushbrooke, 2013).
Purpose of the Project
The project aimed to investigate whether patients’ assessment of the quality of care had improved after nursing professionals engaged in ward-level care delivery were exposed to a two-week in-service communication skills training program.
Research Question
The study was guided by the following research question: can in-service communication skills training improve patient satisfaction with regard to the quality of care provided in inpatient settings?
Hypothesis
It was hypothesized that scores on the patient-rated satisfaction questionnaire would reflect the greater ability for nursing professionals to communicate more effectively upon exposure to the two-week communication skills training course when compared with nurses who were not exposed to the course.
Methodology
A quantitative research approach and a cross-sectional research design were adopted to investigate the patient’s perceptions of satisfaction with the quality of care after nurses completed the communication skills training course. The convenience sampling technique was used to select patients (N=120) for participation, who were later grouped into an intervention group (n=60) and control group (n=60).
Steps in Implementing the Project
Twenty (20) nurses were selected to undergo an in-service communication skills training course over a two-week period. The course included components of symmetry and asymmetry interactions, patient-focused communication styles, language and cultural proficiency, non-verbal communication cues, and augmentative communication methods (Smith & Pressman, 2010). After the successful completion of the course, the nurses were assigned to the intervention group for a period of three months. Nurses who provided care to the control group of patients were not exposed to the course.
Afterward, patients in the intervention and control groups were asked to complete a standardized satisfaction questionnaire in order to capture their perceptions of the quality of care provided. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS with the view to establishing the relationship between the training program and patient satisfaction with the quality of care.
Results
Paired samples t-tests showed considerable improvement in patients’ satisfaction with care in the intervention group according to the provided self-rated scores. Patients generally were very satisfied with the way nursing professionals addressed their concerns and provided patient-centered care. Patients in the control group reported high scores related to dissatisfaction with care and the inability of nurses to solve their problems.
Conclusion
Drawing from the results, it is clear than an in-service communication skills training program can be used to increase the level of patient satisfaction with the quality of care provided by nursing professionals in an inpatient hospital setting.
Impact on Nursing Career
The findings of this project have far-reaching implications on the nursing profession in general and inpatient care providers in particular. The study demonstrates that nurses can benefit immensely from exposure to communication skills training, particularly in terms of developing the competencies and skills needed to ensure that patients are satisfied with the quality of care provided in healthcare settings. It is therefore recommended that healthcare facilities should provide routine training on communication skills to enhance the opportunities for nurses to increase patient satisfaction through the delivery of quality care.
References
Findik, U.Y., Unsar, S., & Sut, N. (2010). Patient satisfaction with nursing care and its relationship with patient characteristics. Nursing and Health Sciences, 12(2), 162-169.
Information for authors. (2016).
Johnson, L.A., Gorman, C., Morse, R., Firth, M., & Rushbrooke, S. (2013). Does communication skills training make a difference to patients’ experiences of consultations in oncology and palliative care services? European Journal of Cancer Care, 22(2), 202-209.
Journal of Advanced Nursing. (2016).
Smith, H., & Pressman, H. (2010). Training nurses in patient communication. Web.
van Teijlingen, E., & Hundley, V. (2002). Getting your paper to the right journal: A case study of an academic paper. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37(6), 506-511.