Students' Reflections During Training Workshops on Communication and Information Exchange in Audiology Consultations: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Abstract

Purpose: This clinical focus article outlines various communication challenges and scenarios related to information giving encountered by a group of audiology students, as reflected on during a series of communication skills workshops. Method: We held two online training workshops during which students reflected on their clinical communication experiences and asked questions related to clinical scenarios. Third-year audiology students from a South African university participated in the workshops (17 in the first, 15 in the second). We analyzed these reflections using thematic analysis. Results: Students' reflections related to four themes: (a) balancing information giving, (b) managing shared decision making, (c) managing linguistic differences, and (d) relating bad news. The first theme was heavily prioritized in students' reflections. Providing students with time to practice skills introduced in the initial communication skills workshop enabled further reflection in the subsequent workshop. We discuss these themes using specific examples raised by students. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that students first need to master basic information giving skills before they can move on to more advanced skills such as managing shared decision making, linguistic differences, and relating bad news. This study confirms that reflective skills need to be developed with students in an explicit manner, rather than as part of a hidden curriculum. Our approach to providing communication training and encouraging reflection on clinical experiences offers a starting point for clinical educators to support students in developing these skills.