Theaker E D, Kay E J, Gill S
Department of Dental Medicine and Surgery, University of Manchester, UK.
Br Dent J. 2000 Jan 8;188(1):40-4. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4800382.
The aim of this study was to develop, and assess the inter-observer reliability of an instrument for evaluating dental students' communication skills. Methods used were process-tracking of interactions between experienced practitioners and patients, development of the instrument and its simultaneous use by two researchers observing 43 third year dental students prior to communication skills training. The results found that the instrument was appropriate for the purpose for which it was designed, and was easy to utilise. There were no significant differences between observers' total scores. Item-specific weighted kappa scores showed almost perfect agreement between observers for all but four of the 31 items. The lowest interobserver weighted kappa score was for the measurement of eye contact (k = 0.60). In conclusion, assessment of communication skills is now a necessity in the undergraduate curriculum. Preliminary analysis of an instrument of communication skills in the dental surgery indicates that it may be possible to do this reliably.
本研究的目的是开发一种用于评估牙科学生沟通技巧的工具，并评估该工具在不同观察者之间的可靠性。所采用的方法包括对经验丰富的从业者与患者之间互动的过程跟踪、该工具的开发以及两名研究人员在沟通技巧培训前同时使用该工具观察43名牙科三年级学生。结果发现，该工具适用于其设计目的，且易于使用。观察者的总分之间没有显著差异。特定项目的加权kappa分数显示，除31个项目中的4个项目外，观察者之间对所有项目的意见几乎完全一致。观察者间加权kappa分数最低的是眼神接触的测量（k = 0.60）。总之，沟通技巧评估现在是本科课程中的一项必要内容。对牙科手术中沟通技巧工具的初步分析表明，有可能可靠地进行此项评估。
