EFFECT OF THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION TRAINING ON NURSES’ COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AND PATIENT SATISFACTION
Keywords:
Therapeutic communication, communication competence, patient satisfaction, nursing training, quasi-experimental study, tertiary care hospital.Abstract
Background: Therapeutic communication is an essential component of nursing care that promotes effective nurse–patient relationships, emotional support, and patient satisfaction. Inadequate communication skills among nurses may negatively affect healthcare quality and patient experiences.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of therapeutic communication training on nurses’ communication competence and patient satisfaction in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.
Methods: A quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study design was employed. A sample of 54 registered nurses was determined using G*Power software and selected through convenience sampling. Structured questionnaires assessed communication competence and patient satisfaction before and after training. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 27, applying descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests.
Results: The illustrative dataset showed that mean communication competence scores increased from 58.94 ± 8.77 to 76.49 ± 10.68 (p < .001). Patient satisfaction scores improved from 57.22 ± 8.10 to 68.59 ± 10.65 (p < .001). Improvements were observed across all communication domains, particularly emotional support and active listening.
Conclusion: The simulated findings suggest that structured therapeutic communication training may improve nurses’ communication competence and patient satisfaction. Validation using actual clinical data is required.
