Evaluating the impact of an interprofessional communication course through essay content analysis: Do physiotherapy and occupational therapy students' essays place similar emphasis on responding skills?

As part of the assessment of a communication course taught jointly to second year physiotherapy and occupational therapy students, they wrote essays evaluating the impact of therapist communication skills on patient satisfaction, compliance and recovery. Analysis of essay content showed that students from both professions were generally aware of clients' cognitive needs and usually portrayed the therapist and patient as partners in effective treatment. However, there were wide individual differences in the volume of discussion relating to clients' emotional needs and the role of therapist listening and relationship skills in effective communication. As a group, there was a tendency for physiotherapy students to give less weight to responding skills, with the exception of acknowledging the need to work with patients' anxiety. Differences in attitudes between the two professions were also manifest in students' evaluations of the ‘relevance' of the communication course to their professional development. Curriculum pressures and less diverse placement experiences may have a role to play in these differences, and their influences are worthy of further investigation. The somewhat different focus of the two student groups indicates that interprofessional teaching may need to address attitudes and values transmitted in other parts of training. Content analysis of essays, while time-consuming, may assist tutors in planning and delivering interprofessional courses which acknowledge students' needs and perspectives.