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

BACKGROUND: 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. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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 = 15) and control (n = 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. RESULTS: 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 (t(13)= 9.26, p < 0.001) and 33.64 (6.02) and 33.93 (5.39) in the control group, respectively (p = 0.85). The difference between the two groups was significant (t(26)= 7.86, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Communication skills training based on the Calgary-Cambridge model can be used as an effective method to improve interviewing skills among midwifery students.