Acting to teach communication skills to nurses.

BACKGROUND: Interpersonal and communication skills are core competencies for nursing students. Empathetic, patient-centred communication improves patient outcomes and the care experience. Nursing trainees have reported a lack of preparation and confidence in communication and interpersonal skills with patients and members of the health care team. Acting-based hands-on training may provide a novel approach to develop communication in nursing students. APPROACH: The corresponding author worked as a professional actor before pursuing a medical career. He created an acting-based workshop, inspired by classic acting exercises taught in drama conservatories for decades, to develop core communication and interpersonal skills for health care professionals. The course creator and an instructor with no acting background each facilitated the workshops. The initiative was taught to over 200 preclinical baccalaureate freshmen and sophomore nursing students as part of their clinical skills courses at one institution. EVALUATION: Participants were asked to rate their self-efficacy for skills developed in the workshop using a 5-point Likert scale. A 4 or 5 rating was considered agreement. Most participants agreed the workshop developed their skills of self-awareness, observation, teamwork, flexibility, nonverbal and verbal communication, trust, mindfulness, body language awareness, active listening, and sensitivity to emotions expressed by others. IMPLICATIONS: An acting-based teaching intervention is efficacious in instilling core communication and interpersonal skills to preclinical nursing students based on participants' self-efficacy ratings. This innovative way to teaching communication provides students with an experiential environment conducive to learning. Similar ratings between sessions suggest that health professions educators with no formal acting training can successfully teach this course.

Burdens and Educational Needs of Informal Caregivers of Older Adults With Urinary Incontinence: An Internet-Based Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the burden and educational needs of informal caregivers of care-dependent older adults with urinary incontinence (UI). DESIGN: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey of informal caregivers recruited through Google Ads was performed. METHODS: An online survey, including the Overactive Bladder-Family Impact Measure, was used to assess five areas of the experience of the informal caregiver that may be affected by caring for a person with UI and their educational needs. FINDINGS: Respondents (n = 77) reported a substantial impact of their care recipients' UI on their lives, with concern, travel, and social subscales most affected. However, 42% never sought treatment on behalf of their care recipient. Educational needs included UI treatment strategies and guidance to select appropriate supplies. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers underreported their care recipient's UI and need substantially more support from healthcare providers to manage the condition. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Nurses should assess for UI among care-dependent older adults and, if present, provide information and strategies to lessen the impact on caregiver lives.