The effects of lecture-based and role-playing educational methods on patient communication skills: a comparative study on nursing students

Abstract

Background: Patient communication skills are considered as one of the quality standards of nursing care. Educational methods play a major role in increasing nursing students' communication skills. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate and compare the effects of lecture-based and role-playing educational methods on patient communication skills in nursing students. Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental study. The statistical population of the study consisted of 42 third-year nursing students of Jahrom Nursing and Paramedical School in 2020. They were selected by using a census method and were randomly assigned to role-playing and lecture-based educational groups. Communication skills educations were held in three two-hour sessions for three weeks in both groups. Data were collected using a communication skills checklist before and one month after the intervention and analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test and chi-square and in SPSS-21 software. Results: The mean scores of patient communication skills in the role-playing and lecture-based educational groups were not statistically significant before the intervention (P > 0.05). However, after the intervention, the mean scores of patient communication skills in the students of the role-playing education group (67.38 ± 8.71) were higher compared to students of the lecture-based education group (47.00 ± 12.82) and this difference was statistically significant (p <0.05). Conclusion: Both educational methods have an effect on increasing patient communication skills in nursing students, but role-playing education was more effective than lecture-based education.

Keywords

• Communication
• Education
• Lecture
• Patients
• Role Playing
• Students, Nursing