Determining the Effectiveness of Online Communication Training in Nursing Students with the Sequential Mixed Method: An Example of Perinatal Patient Safety

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of online communication training in maintaining perinatal patient safety for nursing students. Methods: The type of the study is mixed method. Nursing students were recruited and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group participated in the communication course, which contained a theoretical course, video demonstrations and discussions of effective and ineffective communication processes, and standardized participant practices. In total, 40 nursing students completed the training. The control group consisted of 39 students. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, an effective communication skill checklist, self-assessment of effective communication skill checklist, and a semi-structured focus group interview. The t-test was used to evaluate differences between the 2 groups before and after the course. Results: After the training, the intervention group had significantly higher communication skill scores compared to the control group. Further, students in the intervention group reported higher self-evaluation of effective communication skill scores. Three themes were obtained from focus group interviews: influence on awareness and self-confidence, learning through practice, and an effective communication framework. Conclusion: The communication training significantly improved the communication skills of nursing students. Keywords: Communication, mixed methods, nursing, perinatology, training