Systematic review of measurement properties of self-reported instruments for evaluating therapeutic communication

Abstract

A systematic review was carried out to examine measurement tools of therapeutic relational communication, using an electronic search of the following databases: PubMed, LILACS, CINAHL, CiberIndex, Scielo and Scopus. The project followed the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and the protocol recommended by the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) panel. Thirteen instruments were included in the review. and their measurement properties were tested. The most common communication elements found in the measuring instruments were: empathy, respect, listening, contact, communicative competence, communication quality, and communication skills. Studies that used a theoretical foundation were based on patient-centered humanistic models. Empathy, respect, controlled contact, and other basic elements of interpersonal communication were most commonly found among the measuring regents. In conclusion, this review analyzed the theoretical foundations of the components of instruments used to measure therapeutic relational communication in the nursing field.

Development and Validation of the Therapeutic Communication Scale in Nursing Students

“…The key elements of therapeutic communication include introducing oneself, forming relationships with patients, listening, empathy, respect, empathizing, confirming issues, and reconfirming [1,13]. However, the definition of therapeutic communication varies among scholars, making it difficult to measure its competencies [6,14].…”

Psychometric properties of the Korean version of ComOn coaching for oncology nurses

“…There are many instruments for measuring communication, 11 , 12 , 13 including 14 measurement tools for patient-centered doctor-patient communication, 11 six for team communication, and four for individual communication performance. 12 Although these instruments assess performance in terms of leadership, teamwork, communication, and situation awareness, 12 most have yet to be evaluated in their psychometric properties (e.g., validity, reliability, and generalizability); 11 thus, they cannot be easily applied to nursing situations.…”

“…In nursing research, there are 13 tools for self-reported therapeutic relational communication, comprising empathy, respect, listening, contact, communicative competence, communication quality, and communication skills. 13 Despite these tools having a communication skills category, most emphasize comprehensive communication behavior more than specific communication skills.…”

Therapeutic Communication Experiences of Nurses Caring for Patients with Hematology

“…For nurses, in particular, communication can be considered an essential component of nursing expertise that can enable them to understand, evaluate, and focus on each patient [ 4 , 5 ]. A nurse’s effective therapeutic communication represents their ability to know what to say and do during interactions with a patient [ 6 ]. The patients’ satisfaction with hospital life varies according to the nurses’ level of communication [ 7 ].…”