Effect of Communication Skills Training Using the Calgary Cambridge Model on Interviewing Skills among Midwifery Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

An effective interview can strengthen the clinician‑patient relationship and improve treatment outcomes. We aimed to assess the effect of communication skills training using the Calgary‑Cambridge model on interviewing skills among midwifery students.

In this randomized controlled trial, 30 midwifery students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned through minimization into the intervention (n </em>= 15) and control (n </em>= 15) groups in 2018. The routine interventions were administered for the control group, and four sessions of communication skills training based on the Calgary‑Cambridge model was performed in small groups for the intervention group. Evan and colleague’s History‑taking Rating Scale was used before and four weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using paired and independent‑sample t and Mann‑Whitney U tests at the significance level of less than 0.05.

The mean (SD) scores of interviewing skill before and after the intervention was 33.71 (7.34) and 54.50 (8.16), respectively, in the intervention group (t13 = 9.26, p </em>< 0.001) and 33.64 (6.02) and 33.93 (5.39) in the control group, respectively (p </em>= 0.85). The difference between the two groups was significant (t26 = 7.86, p </em>< 0.001).

Communication skills training based on the Calgary‑Cambridge model can be used as an effective method to improve interviewing skills among midwifery students.