The development of a video-based intervention (V-BIS) to improve the interpersonal communication skills of public health midwives

Interpersonal Communication Skills (IPCS), specific verbal and non-verbal skills, have been identified as core skills for effective interpersonal communication. The IPCS are essential clinical skills for Public Health Midwives (PHMs), front-line public healthcare providers for maternal and childcare, in Sri Lanka. These PHMs showed low levels of IPCS, and traditional training methods have failed to translate theoretical knowledge of IPCS into practice. This study proposes a novel video-based intervention with skill improvement sessions (V-IBS) designed to bridge the gap in communication skill training for healthcare providers. The development of the V-BIS intervention incorporates a three-phase approach: theoretical review, modeling, and piloting. Initially, a comprehensive literature review and targeted training needs assessment through focus group discussions and direct observation using simulated clients were conducted to identify key IPCS areas for development. This foundation informed the creation of educational videos and role-play exercises tailored to address specific IPCS gaps of PHMs. PHMs and administrators in the study evaluated the intervention to determine its feasibility and effectiveness. The V-BIS intervention is a half-day training program that includes educational videos on IPCS, peer role-playing, and a constructive discussion after analyzing the video-recorded role-plays by peers. All PHMs and their local managers in the study agreed that the intervention was comprehensive and feasible to implement in the work setting of PHMs. The V-BIS intervention is a feasible video-based intervention to improve the IPCS of PHMs. Clinical Trial Registry, Sri Lanka. Ref No, SLCTR/2020/006(Feb 4th,2020).