Educational workshops for health care professionals on compassionate communication following adverse events in healthcare: a mixed methods evaluation

Abstract

Abstract Background When things go wrong in healthcare patients and families want to be included, they want open honest compassionate communication; however, in practice,this does not always happen. This study evaluated the impact of compassionate communication skills training offered to 74 health care staff members across NHS Scotland. Training focused on ‘good’ patient family involvement during adverse event reviews using a person-centred approach. Methods: The evaluation, informed by the Kirkpatrick model, was completed by two independent reviewers. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from 74 health care participants who completed the training. The analysis of feedback from course evaluation forms, and pre- and post measures of knowledge and confidence, together with thematic analysis from reflective practice assignments, are outlined and discussed. Results The quantitative outcomes from the pre- and post-training polls indicated that participants were more confident including and communicating with patients and families. They felt better able to craft and deliver an apology to patients and families. They valued the delivery methods used which combined theory and practice. Qualitative analysis of participants' reflective practice logs suggested that the training-inspired improvement and empathic presence, as participants valued the models, tools presented and the interactive nature of the training delivery. This contributed to a drive among participants to embed more compassionate communication into their review process. Conclusion After completing the compassionate communication skills, trained staff members felt more confident, and some participants reported skill enhancement and changes in practice through a more person-centric compassionate approach to patients and families involved in the adverse event review process.