Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme on the Level of Knowledge of Communication Skill among Nurses Working at NIMHANS, Bangalore

Background: Mental disorders of different kinds leave the clients with communication problems that make the interaction difficult to understand. Almost all the mental disorders lead to a pathological communication pattern. Like other skills of professional nursing, communication requires intense education. Aims and Objectives: 1. To develop structured teaching programme on communication skill for nurses 2. To identify the socio demographic characteristics of the nurses in the study. 3. To assess the level of knowledge of communication skill before the structured teaching programme. 4. To evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme. Material and methods: A quasi experimental study design with two groups' pre test and post test was used. The study population comprised of 32 nurses, 17 in experimental group and 15 in control group, working at NIMHANS, Bangalore using convenient sampling technique. The data were collected by using socio demographic data sheet and knowledge assessment questionnaire. The tools were prepared with the experts' guidance. Pilot study conducted was found to be feasible and reliable. The collected data were statistically analyzed. Results: The subjects in control and experimental group matched with each other in six socio demographic characteristics. There was a significant improvement in the level of knowledge in experimental group subjects after the intervention. Conclusion: Structured teaching programme was effective in improving the knowledge of communication skill.