Duration
15h Th, 6h Pr
Number of credits
Lecturer
Jean Luc Belche, Christophe Demoulin, Jennifer Foucart, Gilles Lombard, Alexandre Mouton, Benoît Pétré, Sébastien Wolfs
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Course Content Strong professional communication skills, both in healthcare professional-patient interactions and in interprofessional communication, are essential for all healthcare professionals involved in patient care. They contribute to the quality of the therapeutic relationship, patient well-being, effective information sharing, and the overall effectiveness of care.
This course explores the various factors that may influence the therapeutic relationship, as well as strategies and communication tools that enable healthcare professionals to adapt their behaviour, attitude, and communication to different situations encountered in clinical practice. Particular attention is given to oral and written communication, active listening, empathy, and therapeutic touch, as well as to the ability to develop communication strategies adapted to the patient, the context, and the patient's specific needs.
The theoretical lectures and three practical sessions, delivered by different lecturers and experts, will address the following topics:
- the therapeutic relationship and therapeutic alliance;
- the patient-centred approach and the adaptation of communication to the patient's needs, expectations, and individual characteristics;
- the Calgary-Cambridge model and its application to professional communication in healthcare;
- the principles and techniques of Motivational Interviewing, including exploring ambivalence, decisional balance, open-ended questions, reflections, and summaries, with a particular focus on enhancing patient motivation and supporting behaviour change;
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active listening, empathy, and their importance in establishing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship;
- verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as the role of therapeutic touch in the therapeutic relationship;
- communication strategies and appropriate attitudes and responses in a range of clinical situations, including challenging interpersonal situations;
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information sharing and the specific features of written and oral communication in a professional healthcare context;
- adapting communication to patient and contextual diversity, particularly through an intercultural approach;
- principles derived from psychological and cognitive behavioural approaches relevant to clinical practice;
- the principles and strategies of therapeutic patient education, including its contribution to patient autonomy and health promotion;
- education about pain mechanisms and pain neurophysiology for patients with persistent/chronic pain, with particular attention to adapting communication and educational tools to the individual patient.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Learning Objectives By the end of the course, students will be able to:
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Establish an appropriate therapeutic relationship with patients/healthcare recipients by adopting a professional attitude that fosters trust, collaboration, and a strong therapeutic alliance.
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Implement effective and appropriate communication strategies tailored to the patient, the target audience, and the healthcare context, taking into account their needs, level of understanding, and individual characteristics.
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Develop appropriate educational communication strategies to inform, educate, and/or rehabilitate healthcare recipients.
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Practise active listening and demonstrate empathy, through the appropriate use of questioning, reformulation, validation, and verbal and non-verbal communication.
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Adapt communication to patient diversity, particularly when interacting with individuals from different cultural and social backgrounds and in a variety of healthcare contexts.
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Understand and apply the fundamental principles of Motivational Interviewing to foster patient engagement, autonomy, and health-related behaviour change.
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Adapt their attitude, communication, and responses in challenging interpersonal situations, particularly when dealing with strong emotions, resistance, misunderstandings, or difficulties with treatment engagement and adherence.
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Understand the main psychological and psychosocial dimensions of pain, particularly in the context of persistent/chronic pain, and integrate these dimensions into the therapeutic relationship.
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Understand and apply the fundamental principles of patient education and therapeutic patient education, and appropriately integrate them into physiotherapy practice.
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Explain the mechanisms of persistent/chronic pain to patients in a clear, accessible, and appropriate manner, using communication and educational strategies that promote understanding, autonomy, and active engagement in their care.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods
- Courses ex cathedra
- Discussions
- Questions and answers.
- Videos
- Demonstrations
- Practical work (groups of students)
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Additional information:
Face-to-face for most sessions.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Various reference books can be recommended such as :
- The book "La communication professionnelle en santé" de Claude Richard, Marie-Thérèse Lussier
- The book "Pratique de l'entretien motivationnel - communiquer avec le patient en consultation"
- The book "Explain Pain Supercharged" par L. Moseley et D. Butler
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( T-F, open-ended questions, video analysis)
Further information:
This course includes a written exam (open question(s), True-false, video analyses and/or fill-in-the-blank questions) that may cover the entirety of the material.
Attendance at the practical sessions (labs) is mandatory (any unexcused absence will be penalized and must be compensated by additional work).
Failure to complete the homework assignments requested by the instructor will be penalized (-2 for the final score for each non performed activity).
Work placement(s)
None.
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
See timetable at the beginning of the semester.
Contacts
Prof DEMOULIN C. - ISEPK - Bât. B21
Tél : 04/366.38.95 - email : Christophe.Demoulin@uliege.be
Prof MOUTON A. - ISEPK - Bât. B21
Tél : 04/366.38.96 - email : Alexandre.mouton@uliege.be
Secretary : Annette HANSSEN or Steve JASPAR (04/366.38.97) or Annie DEFAIFVE (04/366.38.90)
Pedagogic coordinator : sebastien.wolfs@uliege.be