Impact of Communication Training on Nurses' Verbal and Nonverbal Skills and Patient Satisfaction

Abstract

Effective nurse communication correlates with favorable patient experiences and outcomes. Communication training programs are insufficient, although they do improve nurses’ communication skills. The purpose of this quantitative, pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of a communication training intervention on nurses’ perceptions of verbal and nonverbal skills, patient satisfaction with nurses’ communication, and the overall rating of the hospital. The Nurse Self-report Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Skills Survey (NSVNCSS) was the tool employed to collect data from 103 nurses to investigate the changes in nurses’ perception of their own verbal and nonverbal scores from pretest to posttest. The analysis of historical satisfaction surveys from 81 inpatients before and 71 after the communication training was necessary to investigate the changes in relevant scores theorized to accompany the increases in communication ratings. Statistical findings suggested that a communication-training program for nurses demonstrated increased level of nurses’ self-reported verbal and non-verbal skills, as well as for inpatients’ level of satisfaction with nurse courtesy and respect. Other findings revealed that the implementation of a nurse communication-training program showed increased inpatients’ perceived levels of satisfaction on nurses’ listening skills, explaining things clearly, and the overall rating scores for the hospital but were not statistically significant. There was not much room for growth since the average pre-intervention communication score was 3.74 or more out of 4 and an average of 9.2 out of 10 for the overall hospital rating. The results provide valuable evidence that the developed communication skills program is effective in improving nurses’ perception of their communication skills.