Programme delivery
The programme was delivered at Ygeia hospital in Cyprus. Ygeia Hospital is a general hospital with 27 specialties and a capacity of 152 beds. The hospital employs more than 200 associate physicians and 473 medical, nursing and administrative staff, thus making it one of the largest employers in Cyprus.
The programme was offered to nurses, doctors, and administrative staff employed by the hospital. Participants consisted of mainly nurses, although 8 doctors and 5 managerial/administrative staff also attended. All participants were offered CPD credits.
The vast majority of the participants were selected by the medical and nursing management team as part of their continuing professional development. The selected participants were able to take time away from work to attend the course.
Demographic information relating to the participating HCPs can be seen in Table 1.
Demographic details of participating HCPs
The programme consisted of six modules delivered over a period of 6 months. Each module was delivered twice to two separate groups of participants. The design of the modules was based on the outcome of focus group meetings with the hospital Board of Directors, Human Resources staff, and healthcare professionals, in terms of their needs, ideas, and expectations. The modules were cumulative so that each session would build on the previous ones.
At the beginning of the first module, participants were each given a randomly distributed colour-coded card, and were then asked to join other members of the group who held the same colour card. This initiative was intended to encourage meeting new people and working with colleagues other than those encountered on a usual daily basis.
A number of innovative teaching methods were utilized, in order to engage the participants and encourage interactive learning. Teaching methods included the use of presentations, theory-based discussion, videos, role play, stories, real-life examples, and a range of other activities. The teaching methodology was based on a combination of didactic, practical and experiential modes of learning. The first refers to theoretical tuition in seminar form, the second to practice of set skills through role playing, and the third refers to exposure to planned settings that experientially are comparable to actual application situations. The modules covered a range of relevant issues including: applying compassion in the healthcare setting; patient-centred care; conflict transformation; intercultural communication; advanced communication skills; and the therapeutic compassionate relationship.
The training methods that we used were based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, which is described as a progression through 4 stages, these being experience, reflection, conceptualization to action and further experience [26] Moreover, we stressed that participants pursue meaningful change with reflections on experiences or actions [27]. Futhermore, a case based approach was also used during the trainings [28].
Table 2 provides an overview of the module descriptions.
Module descriptions
The programme was delivered by a multidisciplinary team including HCPs, psychologists, sociologists, and an Associate Professor in clinical communication who was responsible for the clinical communication component of the course.
In addition, a further unique feature was the involvement of the programme leader’s son who assisted in the organization and delivery of various activities.
The modules were presented mainly in the Greek language, except in cases where the presenter’s native language was English. In such cases, translation was provided (where necessary) by the programme leader and his young son – both of whom are fluent in English as well as Greek or, in one case, by one of the other presenters.
Finally, the success of each module was evaluated by participants at the end of the session, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.