Effects of a Communication Skills Training Program for Occupational Therapy Interns in Mental Health
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 307
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Expert-rated communication skills performance
研究概览
简要总结
The goal of this clinical trial is to develop and test a new communication skills training program for occupational therapy (OT) interns in mental health practice, called the Intervention Protocol for Communication Skills of Occupational Therapy Interns (iCOT). The main questions are:
Does iCOT improve interns' communication skills in the short term?
The study has two parts. First, researchers will develop the iCOT program using expert input, feedback from recent graduates, and feasibility testing with interns, supervisors, and patients. Second, the study will test iCOT using a single-blind design. Expert raters, who do not know which group each intern belongs to, will evaluate communication skills using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).
The intervention group will receive iCOT training. The comparison group will use data from a previous study of interns, supervisors, and patients. Communication skills will be rated by experts (primary outcome) and by supervisors, patients, and interns (secondary outcomes).
详细描述
Communication skills are essential for occupational therapy (OT) practitioners working in mental health settings. Strong communication skills improve treatment quality, therapeutic relationships, and clinical outcomes. However, there is currently no evidence-based communication training specifically designed for OT interns in mental health. This gap limits both clinical education and research in the field.
This study aims to develop and evaluate a structured communication skills training program for mental-health OT interns, called the Intervention Protocol for Communication Skills of Occupational Therapy Interns (iCOT). The study has two phases and uses a single-blind clinical trial design, in which expert raters are blinded to group assignment.
Phase 1: Development of the iCOT Program
In Phase 1, researchers will create the iCOT training program through several steps:
Teaching content: Materials will be designed based on established models of therapist-patient communication in mental health.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Non Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Other
- 盲法
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
盲法说明
Single-blind. Expert raters evaluating communication skills are blinded to group assignment.
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Occupational therapy interns: willing to participate; no additional inclusion or
排除标准
- •Clinical supervisors (occupational therapists): willing to participate; no additional inclusion or exclusion criteria.
- •Diagnosed with any DSM-5 mental disorder
- •Age 20 years or older
- •Able to provide informed consent
- •Adequate verbal communication ability
- •Exclusion Criteria:
- •Patients: severe cognitive impairment (e.g., aphasia or inability to follow three-step commands).
- •Interns and supervisors: none.
研究组 & 干预措施
iCOT Communication Training
Participants receive the iCOT (Intervention Protocol for Communication Skills of Occupational Therapy Interns) communication skills training program. The program includes structured instructional content based on therapist-patient communication models, teaching strategies designed for OT interns, and a training sequence integrated into internship schedules. Training is delivered during the internship period.
干预措施: iCOT (Behavioral)
Active Control (Historical Data)
This arm uses historical data from a previous cohort of occupational therapy interns, clinical supervisors, and patients. The cohort includes 44 interns, 9 supervisors, and 97 patients who completed standard internship training without the iCOT program. Their communication performance, measured with the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF), serves as the comparison group.
干预措施: Active Control (Behavioral)
结局指标
主要结局
Expert-rated communication skills performance
时间窗: Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.
Blinded expert raters evaluate interns' communication skills using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).
次要结局
- clinical supervisor-rated communication skills performance(Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.)
- Patient-rated communication skills performance(Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.)
- Intern self-rated communication skills performance(Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.)