@article{Fattah_2019, title={Effects of communication skills training courses on knowledge levels of the health workforce in Sulaimani}, volume={23}, url={https://zjms.hmu.edu.krd/index.php/zjms/article/view/638}, DOI={10.15218/zjms.2019.007}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Communication skills are one of the important and effective skills for healthcare providers. Health provider-patient communication is a core component of the health system and has a strong impact on health user satisfaction. This study aimed to explore the level of communication skills among health workforces, and the role of the training course on communication skills improvement.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> This quasi-experimental study included 571 newly graduated participants of health workforces from a Sulaimani city center. Standard tools of communication skills were used for pre- and post-test evaluation through 5 hours of training course including 25-30 participants with a total of 24 training courses. Data collection was performed by the self-administered method. Descriptive statistics and analytical statistics were used to test statistical difference and associations.</p> <p><strong> Results: </strong>Minimum required for communication knowledge and skills are reported by the small percentage of studied participants (12.6%) at the beginning of training. Comparing the mean scores of communication skills showed a statistically significant improvement (mean difference scores is 5.9) after the intervention. Significant communication skills improvement scores have been reported among youngest age groups and physicians.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Well-organized training courses in communication skills can increase the health workforces’ rate of communication skills. Training in communication skills should be widely included during undergraduate studying and in-service training programs.</p>}, number={1}, journal={Zanco Journal of Medical Sciences (Zanco J Med Sci)}, author={Fattah, Fattah Hama Rahim}, year={2019}, month={Apr.}, pages={51–56} }