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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the communication abilities and caring behaviors of nurse students.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand the siginificant relationship between communication abilities and caring behaviors.
Communication and caring are essential to nursing, every day, so nursing education must include these core competencies. However, few researchers have examined the relationship between communication and caring. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between communication abilities and caring behaviors.
Methods:
This was a descriptive correlational study. The questionnaires surveyed the scale of communication abilities (SCA) using 17 items and three subscales: achieving the purposes of communication, friendliness, and self-preparation. The scale of caring behaviors (SCB) contained 28 items. The questionnaires were given to a convenience sample of students in northern, central, and southern nursing schools in Taiwan who had at least one experience in clinical practice.
Results:
There were 305 participants. The average age was 21.43 (SD=1.1) years. The mean score for SCA was 51.6 (ranging from 17-68), SD=7.0, meaning that the participants’ communication abilities were moderate. The scores of the three subscales, from highest to lowest, were friendliness, achieving the purposes of communication, and self-preparation. The mean score for SCB was 54.5 (ranging from 0-84), SD=12.4, meaning that the participants’ caring behaviors were fair. The study indicated a positive relationship between SCA and SCB (r=.685, p<.001).
Conclusion: Communication abilities and caring behaviors were moderate among nursing students, and they showed a positive relationship. The results of this study can serve as a reference for educators to design a course in communication between nurses and patients, which should also include content on caring.