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The Impact of Different Teaching Methods on Empathy and Communication Skills in Healthcare Students

par Foucart, Jennifer
Référence International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH 2024) (9 au 11 septembre 2024: Zaragoza)
Publication Non publié, 2024-09-11

Communication à un colloque

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Résumé :

IntroductionThe significance of empathy in healthcare education is well-supported by various publications. Hojat et al. (2002) emphasized the relationship between empathy in medical students and their clinical competence and academic performance, indicating the importance of empathy in healthcare education. Levett‐Jones et al. (2019) conducted a systematic review that underlines the effectiveness of empathy education for undergraduate nursing students, further emphasizing the relevance of empathy training in healthcare education. Additionally, Nunes et al. (2011) discussed the decline in empathy among students in health disciplines during their training, shedding light on the need for effective empathy training methods provided insights into the development of empathy in the healthcare setting, supporting the relevance of empathy education in healthcare curricula (Yu et al., 2022). Lastly, Hales et al. (2021) proposed an empathy immersion educational program to improve patient care and healthcare staff well-being, further emphasizing the importance of empathy in healthcare education. These publications collectively support the need for effective empathy training in healthcare education and provide a foundation for the current study's objective to evaluate different teaching methods' impact on empathy and communication skills in healthcare students.Method This study aimed to evaluate the impact of four different teaching methods on empathy and communication skills in 180 third-year physiotherapy students. The teaching methods included 4 hours of theoretical teaching of communication and empathy, 4 hours of online teaching with immersive learning, 4 hours of student-to-student role-playing, and 2 hours in a simulation laboratory with actor patients. The students were divided into two groups to follow the practical teaching methods in a different order to isolate the impact of each method. The Jefferson Empathy Scale and the Communication Skills Attitude Scale were administered before and after each method.Results The results indicated that all teaching methods had a positive impact on empathy and attitude towards communication. However, the simulation with actor patients in the laboratory demonstrated the most significant improvement. Conclusion These findings emphasize the effectiveness of simulation with actor patients as a pedagogical method for developing empathy and communication skills in physiotherapy students. Furthermore, the combination of all these methods in the educational curriculum was found to be crucial for the effective development of these skills. Therefore, the teaching of empathy and communication skills should incorporate a variety of teaching methods to ensure comprehensive skill development.