Effect of Communication Skills Training on General Health of Nurses

Communication skills are of high importance nowadays. Due to their occupational position، nurses need appropriate and sufficient skills to communicate with their colleagues and patients in order to achieve peace and satisfaction. The present study aimed to determine the effect of communication skills training on the overall amount of general health (and its dimensions) in nurses of Kashani Hospital، Isfahan، Iran. This was a quasi-experimental research in which the statistical sample included all the nurses employed by Kashani Hospital in 2009 (158 male and female nurses in 12 wards). By applying the relative categorical random sampling method، 20 participants were assigned to the experimental group and the rest (n = 20) were assigned to the control group. Eight sessions of communication skills training were held for the experimental group. The standard General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used to measure and evaluate the general health in pre-intervention and post-intervention phases. To determine the reliability of each questionnaire، Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was utilized which provided us with 0. 78. Analysis of the data took place on two levels of descriptive statistics (average and standard deviation) and inferential statistics i. e. analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Communication skills training increased the general health by 73% and decreases depression، anxiety، and social and physical dysfunction by 75%، 72%، 72%، 34%، respectively (P < 0. 01). Designing and applying standard communication skills training sessions، tied with the help of specialized lecturers، will have a significant effect on human communication، relations، organizational citizenship behavior، and general health of the staff.