Communication in Dietetics: a qualitative exploration of skill development

Health

Communication in Dietetics: a qualitative exploration of skill development

Communication skills are a cornerstone of dietetic practice. Dietitians consider these skills to be important and use a diverse range of communication skills in their practice. Communication skills also feature prominently in dietetic curricula internationally but dietitians report some inconsistency regarding their formal training in communication skills.

Understanding dietitians' and student dietitians' experiences of developing communication skills could provide greater insight to challenges they may face and how teaching and support strategies can be tailored to meet their needs.

This study aims to explore and describe how dietitians develop communication skills across their training and careers.

Can I take part?

You may be eligible to participate if you answer ‘Yes’ to the following statements

Dietitian - I am a HCPC registered dietitian practising in the United Kingdom and am in employment.
Participant Information Sheet DIETITIAN - (pdf) 139 Kb

Student Dietitian - I am student dietitian in the final year of a programme that confers eligibility to register with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the United Kingdom.
Participant Information Sheet STUDENT DIETITIAN - (pdf) 140 Kb

What does the study involve?

If you choose to take part in the project you will be asked to attend two interviews and to complete an audio-diary.

The first interview will be a 30-minute introductory interview. You will be asked about your training and practice placements in dietetics with a focus on communication skills development and will be briefed on the use of the audio-diary. The audio-diary entries will be completed with you submitting voice entries to an online survey with question prompts. You will be sent a link to the online survey containing the audio-diary prompts and you will be able to access this on a computer or via a mobile phone once per week. The survey will also include questions on your demographic data i.e. age, gender, ethnicity to ensure we are including dietitians and student dietitians from a range of settings and with a variety of backgrounds.

After four weeks of completing the audio-diary, you will be asked to attend the second interview. This is expected to be 60-90 minutes in duration. The interview will discuss the development and use of communication skills in your career. Participation will take place remotely. Both interviews will be held online using Microsoft Teams at a time to suit you.