Adaptation of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) to Dental Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to adapt the twenty-six-item Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) developed for medical students for use among dental students and to test the psychometric properties of the modiied instrument. The sample consisted of 250 students (an 80.1 percent response rate) in years D1 to D4 at a dental school in Washington, DC. The mean age of participants was 26.6 years with a range from twenty-one to forty-two years. Slightly more than half of the participants were female (52.4 percent) and were African American or of African descent (51.7 percent). Principal components analysis was used to test the psychometric properties of the instrument. The index that resulted measured both positive and negative attitudes toward learning communications skills. The inal twenty-four-item scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.87), and the study obtained four important factors-Learning, Importance, Quality, and Success-that explained a signiicant portion of the variance (49.1 percent). Stratiied analysis by demographic variables suggested that there may be gender and ethnic differences in the students' attitudes towards learning communication skills. The authors conclude that the CSAS modiied for dental students, or DCSAS, is a useful tool to assess attitudes towards learning communication skills among dental students. G ood communication skills are essential for effective clinical practice in dentistry. As Hannah et al. noted, "An ability to communicate effectively with patients-in particular, to use active listening skills, to gather and impart information effectively, to handle patient emotions sensitively, and to demonstrate empathy, rapport, ethical awareness, and professionalism-is crucial." 1 In addition, research has found that good communication skills can increase the health care providers' diagnostic eficiency and decision making ability, as well as lead to improved patient satisfaction, greater adherence to provider recommendations, decreased anxiety, and lower rates of complaints and malpractice claims. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Professional associations and governmental organizations, acknowledging the central role of communication in attaining improved quality dental health care for an increasingly diverse population, have established objectives for the profession and the nation. In 2008, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) House of Delegates approved communication and interpersonal skills as one of the domains of competencies for new general dentists. 8

Attitudes of Dental Interns Towards Learning Communication Skills in Alexandria University

“…The present study used the adapted version 24'item modified DCSAS scale because of its high internal consistency in assessing their attitudes towards learning communication skills in both AU and PU (15). The responses were analyzed on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).…”

“…The current study was a cross sectional, analytical design aiming to compare dental interns' attitudes towards learning communication skills in both AU and PU using a close ended survey questionnaire based on literature review (15). The target population was all available dental interns who were graduated at the academic year 2012-2013 from both universities.…”

“…The factor contains statements about the process as well as the positive effects of communications skills in the journey towards dental school success. The attitude score for learning range from 4 to 20 (15).…”

“…Then, Laurence et al (15) attempted to adapt the 26 item Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), originally developed for medical students, to be used among dental students in a dental school, in Washington. The final 24'item scale had good internal consistency, and the study addressed four important factors namely Learning, Importance, Quality, and Success.…”

Professional orality as a special field of knowledge in teacher education – a position paper

“…. The research examples, for instance, concern hospital doctors (Fossli-Jensen, 2011), accountants(Gray, 2010), teachers(Ihmeideh, Al-Omari & Al-Dababneh, 2010), dentists(Laurence, Bertera, Feimster, Hollander & Stroman, 2012) and priests(Schøien, 2011(Schøien, , 2016. 3. https://www.jyu.fi/hytk/fi/laitokset/kivi/en/ourdepartment/disciplines/communication/research…”