The Gap Kalamazoo Instrument to Evaluate Therapeutic Communication of Pre-Licensure Nursing Students
Other Titles
Adapting the GAP-Kalamazoo Instrument to Evaluate Communication Skills in Prelicensure Nursing Students [Title Slide]
Abstract
Background: Effective communication among healthcare teams is essential for patient safety and satisfaction. Communication is a core competency for students in nursing education.
Purpose: This study aims to adapt the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment for nursing students to enhance their communication skills and align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials competencies.
Methods: This tool was tested with junior and senior nursing students at two institutions, with data collected through self-evaluations, peer evaluations, and faculty evaluations during clinical and simulation experiences.
Results: The results showed a high reliability of the tool (Cronbach’s Alpha 0.832 for seniors, 0.880 for juniors) and it aligned with six of the Essentials domains.
Conclusion: This tool is reliable for assessing nursing students’ communication skills and aiding in the development of essential skills for clinical practice.
Notes
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing: (2021). The Essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. Accessible online at
https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf
Noviyanti, L. W., Ahsan, A., & Sudartya, T. S. (2021). Exploring the relationship
between nurses’ communication satisfaction and patient safety culture. Journal of public health research, 10(2). doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.2225.
Peterson, E. B., Calhoun, A. W., & Rider, E. A. (2014). The reliability of a modified
Kalamazoo Consensus Statement Checklist for assessing the communication skills of multidisciplinary clinicians in the simulated environment. Patient education and
counseling, 96(3), 411-418. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2014.07.013
Prasanna, S. A. S., Abeysena, H. T. C. S., & Alagiyawanna, M. A. A. P. (2023).
Development and validation of the interpersonal communication assessment tool for assessing the interpersonal communication skills of public health midwives. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 539. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09511-7
Tiwary, A., Rimal, A., Paudyal, B., Sigdel, K. R., & Basnyat, B. (2019). Poor
communication by health care professionals may lead to life-threatening
complications: examples from two case reports. Wellcome open research, 4.doi:
10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15042.1.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Tau
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Advances in Education, Competence, Communication, Communicative Competence, Communication Education, Patient Safety, Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Perron, Tracy J.; Thomas, Mary; Lebo, Chelsea; and Zemer, Romy, "The Gap Kalamazoo Instrument to Evaluate Therapeutic Communication of Pre-Licensure Nursing Students" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 152.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/152
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-12
The Gap Kalamazoo Instrument to Evaluate Therapeutic Communication of Pre-Licensure Nursing Students
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Effective communication among healthcare teams is essential for patient safety and satisfaction. Communication is a core competency for students in nursing education.
Purpose: This study aims to adapt the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment for nursing students to enhance their communication skills and align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials competencies.
Methods: This tool was tested with junior and senior nursing students at two institutions, with data collected through self-evaluations, peer evaluations, and faculty evaluations during clinical and simulation experiences.
Results: The results showed a high reliability of the tool (Cronbach’s Alpha 0.832 for seniors, 0.880 for juniors) and it aligned with six of the Essentials domains.
Conclusion: This tool is reliable for assessing nursing students’ communication skills and aiding in the development of essential skills for clinical practice.
Description
This tool is reliable for assessing nursing students’ communication skills and aiding in the development of essential skills for clinical practice.