Effects of Communication Training for Mental Health Occupational Therapy Interns

Effects of a Communication Skills Training Program for Occupational Therapy Interns in Mental Health

The goal of this clinical trial is to develop and test a new communication skills training program for occupational therapy (OT) interns in mental health practice, called the Intervention Protocol for Communication Skills of Occupational Therapy Interns (iCOT). The main questions are:

Does iCOT improve interns' communication skills in the short term?

The study has two parts. First, researchers will develop the iCOT program using expert input, feedback from recent graduates, and feasibility testing with interns, supervisors, and patients. Second, the study will test iCOT using a single-blind design. Expert raters, who do not know which group each intern belongs to, will evaluate communication skills using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).

The intervention group will receive iCOT training. The comparison group will use data from a previous study of interns, supervisors, and patients. Communication skills will be rated by experts (primary outcome) and by supervisors, patients, and interns (secondary outcomes).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Communication
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: iCOT; Behavioral: Active Control

Detailed Description

Communication skills are essential for occupational therapy (OT) practitioners working in mental health settings. Strong communication skills improve treatment quality, therapeutic relationships, and clinical outcomes. However, there is currently no evidence-based communication training specifically designed for OT interns in mental health. This gap limits both clinical education and research in the field.

This study aims to develop and evaluate a structured communication skills training program for mental-health OT interns, called the Intervention Protocol for Communication Skills of Occupational Therapy Interns (iCOT). The study has two phases and uses a single-blind clinical trial design, in which expert raters are blinded to group assignment.

Phase 1: Development of the iCOT Program

In Phase 1, researchers will create the iCOT training program through several steps:

Teaching content: Materials will be designed based on established models of therapist-patient communication in mental health.

Teaching methods: Instructional strategies will be developed to fit OT interns' learning needs.

Procedure design: The training sequence will align with internship schedules and clinical workflow.

Expert validation: Three clinical experts, two university instructors, and five recent graduates will review and validate the initial version.

Feasibility testing: Five interns, their clinical supervisors, and patients will pilot-test the program to refine the final version.

Phase 2: Evaluation of iCOT Effectiveness

In Phase 2, the finalized iCOT program will be tested. The intervention group will include OT interns, clinical supervisors, and patients participating in the current study. The comparison group will consist of previously collected data from 44 interns, 9 supervisors, and 97 patients.

The primary outcome is interns' communication performance evaluated by blinded expert raters using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF). Secondary outcomes include GKCSAF ratings completed by clinical supervisors, patients, and the interns themselves.

This study will provide the first evidence-based communication skills training protocol tailored to OT interns in mental health and may support future improvements in clinical education and quality of care.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 307
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Niaosong Dist
    • Kaohsiung City, Niaosong Dist, Taiwan, 833401
      • Chang Gung Medical Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Occupational therapy interns: willing to participate; no additional inclusion or exclusion criteria.

Clinical supervisors (occupational therapists): willing to participate; no additional inclusion or exclusion criteria.

Patients:

Diagnosed with any DSM-5 mental disorder

Age 20 years or older

Able to provide informed consent

Adequate verbal communication ability

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients: severe cognitive impairment (e.g., aphasia or inability to follow three-step commands).

Interns and supervisors: none.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: iCOT Communication Training; Participants receive the iCOT (Intervention Protocol for Communication Skills of Occupational Therapy Interns) communication skills training program. The program includes structured instructional content based on therapist-patient communication models, teaching strategies designed for OT interns, and a training sequence integrated into internship schedules. Training is delivered during the internship period.	Behavioral: iCOT; The intervention group receives the iCOT program, which includes: Online training through Moodle with instructional videos, expert demonstrations, and scenario-based quizzes requiring full completion; and; Multi-source feedback from patients, clinical supervisors, and experts using structured communication assessment tools. The program aims to improve communication skills during mental health clinical practice.; Other Names: An intervention protocol for communication skills of occupational therapy interns in in the field of mental health clinical practice
Active Comparator: Active Control (Historical Data); This arm uses historical data from a previous cohort of occupational therapy interns, clinical supervisors, and patients. The cohort includes 44 interns, 9 supervisors, and 97 patients who completed standard internship training without the iCOT program. Their communication performance, measured with the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF), serves as the comparison group.	Behavioral: Active Control; The active control group receives the standard communication training used in routine internship education. Interns complete three recorded patient interviews during the internship, followed by supervisor feedback using the GKCSAF. The control group does not receive the iCOT online modules, expert demonstrations, scenario-based training, or patient feedback. Total training time is approximately 2.5 hours shorter than the intervention group.; Other Names: Standard Communication Training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Expert-rated communication skills performance	Blinded expert raters evaluate interns' communication skills using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).	Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
clinical supervisor-rated communication skills performance	Clinical supervisors evaluate interns' communication skills using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).	Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.
Patient-rated communication skills performance	Patients evaluate interns' communication behavior using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).	Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.
Intern self-rated communication skills performance	Interns complete a self-assessment using the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF).	Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): September 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 24, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2026
• First Posted (Estimated): January 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: occupational therapy; communication skills; communication skills training
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Communication
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202200268B0

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No