Open AccessPatient perceptions of allied health student communication and interpersonal skills: A cross-sectional study
Author(s) -
Nicholas Tripodi,
Sarah Cossar,
Jessica Davidson,
Ryan L. Farmer,
Jessica Gorbonos,
Amelia McDonald,
Melanie Pierlot
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
focus on health professional education a multi-professional journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2204-7662
DOI - 10.11157/fohpe.v22i3.454
Subject(s) - interpersonal communication , context (archaeology) , communication skills , medicine , curriculum , health care , cross sectional study , psychology , perception , social skills , medical education , nursing , family medicine , social psychology , pedagogy , psychiatry , paleontology , pathology , neuroscience , economics , biology , economic growth
Effective patient–practitioner communication contributes to patient health outcomes by strengthening therapeutic relationships and, in the process, contributing to overall quality of patient care. Despite the growth of student-led university teaching clinics, little research has investigated communication skills within this context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the patient-perceived levels of communication and interpersonal skills within a student-led allied health clinic.Methods: The Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) was used to collect cross-sectional data on patients’ perceptions of student communication and interpersonal skills within an osteopathy teaching clinic. Data were analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: According to the CAT, patients perceived the students’ communication and interpersonal skills to be “excellent” overall (97.2%). No significant differences were found between percentage of “excellent” responses and gender (p = .600), number of consultations (p = .374) or pain duration (p = .741).Conclusions: Patients in this setting perceive student communication and interpersonal skills to be of a high standard. This can contribute positively to the patient–practitioner therapeutic alliance and may improve overall health outcomes. These findings have implications for communication training within student-led health professions clinics and tertiary curricula more broadly.