The Impact of Health and Social Care Professionals’ Education on the Quality of Serious Illness Conversations in Nursing Homes: Study Protocol of a Quality Improvement Project

Silvia Gonella (), Paola Di Giulio, Paola Berchialla, Mario Bo, Paolo Cotogni, Giorgia Macchi, Sara Campagna () and Valerio Dimonte
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Silvia Gonella: Direction of Health Professions, City of Health and Science University Hospital of Torino, Corso Bramante 88-90, 10126 Turin, Italy
Paola Di Giulio: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Paola Berchialla: Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
Mario Bo: Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, City of Health and Science University Hospital of Turin, Corso Bramante 88-90, 10126 Turin, Italy
Paolo Cotogni: Pain Management and Palliative Care, Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Emergency, University of Torino, City of Health and Science University Hospital of Turin, Corso Bramante 88-90, 10126 Turin, Italy
Giorgia Macchi: Pain Management and Palliative Care, Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Emergency, University of Torino, City of Health and Science University Hospital of Turin, Corso Bramante 88-90, 10126 Turin, Italy
Sara Campagna: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Valerio Dimonte: Direction of Health Professions, City of Health and Science University Hospital of Torino, Corso Bramante 88-90, 10126 Turin, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Health and social care professionals (HCPs) who work in nursing homes (NHs) are increasingly required to sustain serious illness conversations about care goals and preferences. Although these conversations may also be challenging for experienced HCPs and the literature recognizes high-quality communication as key to providing patient-centered care, so far, no specific educational program has been developed for the NH setting to improve HCPs’ communication skills. Our study aims to test the feasibility and potential effectiveness of an innovative, blended communication skills training program ( Teach-to-Communicate ) targeting the HCPs who work in NHs. This program includes classroom-based theory, experiential learning, and e-learning, and relies on interdisciplinary contexts and several didactic methods. The study consists of two phases: phase I is the development of written resources that employ focus group discussion involving field experts and external feedback from key stakeholders. Phase II consists of a multicenter, pilot, pre-post study with nested qualitative study. The Teach-to-Communicate training program is expected to enhance the quality of communication in NH and HCPs’ confidence in sustaining serious illness conversations, reduce family carers’ psycho-emotional burden and improve their satisfaction with the care received, and increase advance care planning documentation. Our protocol will provide insight for future researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers and pave the way for blended educational approaches in the field of communication skills training.

Keywords: aged; blended learning; communication skills; education; multimethod studies; nursing home; patient-centered care; serious illness conversations; quality of care; training (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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