Effects of formal training in communication skills on the ability of veterinary students to communicate with clients.

All UK veterinary schools have recently introduced small group teaching of communication skills for undergraduates. This study evaluates the effectiveness of this approach in improving the ability of students to communicate with clients in clinical situations. Three groups of clinical veterinary students with either no training or different levels of formal training in communication skills were assessed on their ability to communicate with clients at a local charity clinic. The students' communication skills were assessed quantitatively by direct observation during the consultation and by subsequent questioning of the clients. The accuracy of the clients' recall of relevant information about the animal's condition, medication and management was also analysed. The student groups were then compared on the basis of the scores they obtained. There was a significant improvement in the students' communication skills with increasing levels of training (P<0.0001). The group with the highest level of training consistently achieved higher rankings and median scores than the other two. When appraised by clients, this group significantly outranked both the other groups, but there was no difference between the group with no training and the group with an intermediate level of training. The clients' recall of information given in the consultation was more variable; but the group with the highest level of training achieved higher rankings in all the areas of client recall except for the animal's medication.

Communication education in veterinary in the United Kingdom and Ireland: the NUVACS project coupled to progressive individual school endeavors.

This article reports on the coordination of communications skills training in veterinary schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland and describes the progress and status of training that is occurring in six of these schools.

Obstacles to achieving adequate dialysis dose: compliance, education, transportation, and reimbursement.

There are numerous barriers to delivering the prescribed quantity of dialysis. Noncompliance in terms of shortening and skipping treatments is common and negatively impacts on delivered dialysis. A significant number of shortened treatments are caused by reasons within the patient's control, whereas others, such as transportation, can be influenced by others. This article will review the prevalence of patient noncompliance with the dose of dialysis and the relationship to process and outcome measures. Educational and quality improvement programs resulting in increasing the delivered dialytic dose will also be explored.

Is there data to support the concept that educated, empowered patients have better outcomes?

Achieving positive patient outcomes through the delivery of high quality services encompasses a broad range of indicators, including quality of life, employment, satisfaction with care, utilization of services, cost-benefit, as well as the clinical indices frequently targeted. Empowering and educational initiatives have been shown to positively impact the quality of life of renal patients in both the psychosocial and functional domains. This has extreme relevance in the context of overall care, as empirical evidence has indicated that health-related quality of life measures are associated with improved hospitalization and survival. Home care and self-care training have been associated with better quality of life measures in hemodialysis. Educational efforts have also been associated with better outcomes such as decreased utilization of medical services, the maintenance of employment, consumer satisfaction with care, and a positive cost-benefit. There are data to support that the educated, empowered patient has better outcomes. This evidence will be explored.