Emotional Awareness and Communication Training Effectiveness in Oncology Nurses

Official title

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Emotional Awareness and Communication-Based Intervention Training for Oncology Nurses

Overview

This interventional clinical study aims to evaluate whether a structured emotional awareness and communication training program can reduce occupational burnout among oncology nurses. The study will address the following primary questions: Does the intervention lead to a significant increase in nurses' emotional awareness? Does it improve their communication skills in challenging patient and family interactions? Does it reduce their levels of professional burnout? Participants will be recruited from oncology nurses working at Ankara Etlik City Hospital who have been employed in the unit for at least six months and consent to participate. A total of 64 nurses will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=32), receiving four weekly face-to-face training sessions over four weeks, or a control group (n=32), receiving educational materials in written/digital format. Data will be collected using pre- and post-intervention assessments with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Emotional Requirements Scale, and the Communication Skills Scale for Healthcare Professionals. All data will be anonymized and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing emotional awareness and communication skills and in reducing burnout among oncology nurses.

Detailed description

This interventional study aims to assess the effectiveness of a structured emotional awareness and communication training program in reducing occupational burnout among oncology nurses. The study will be conducted at Ankara Etlik City Hospital Oncology Unit between November 27, 2025, and May 27, 2026. Participants will include 64 nurses who have been working in the unit for at least six months and consent to participate. They will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=32) or a control group (n=32) using stratified randomization.

The intervention group will receive four weekly 45-minute face-to-face training sessions covering:

Recognizing Emotions and Emotional Awareness - understanding emotions and their role in professional practice.

Burnout and Healthy Coping Strategies - identifying burnout symptoms and learning adaptive coping mechanisms.

Challenging Conversations and Effective Communication - practicing empathetic listening, reflection, and emotion-focused communication.

Personal Strategies Against Burnout - applying self-care and stress management techniques.

The control group will receive educational materials in written/digital format after the intervention period to ensure ethical compliance. Data will be collected before and after the intervention using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Emotional Requirements Scale, and the Communication Skills Scale for Healthcare Professionals.

All data will be anonymized, and participants' confidentiality will be strictly maintained. Statistical analyses will be performed using International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for the Social Science Statistics (SPSS) 25.0, including independent and paired t-tests and effect size calculations (Cohen's d) to evaluate the intervention's impact on emotional awareness, communication skills, and burnout levels. This study seeks to provide evidence-based strategies to enhance nurses' psychosocial resilience, improve patient care quality, and reduce occupational burnout in high-stress oncology settings.

Interventions

• Behavioral Structured Emotional Awareness and Communication Training
  Participants in the intervention group will receive a structured training program over four weeks, consisting of weekly 45-minute face-to-face sessions. The program covers: Recognizing emotions and emotional awareness Burnout symptoms and healthy coping strategies Challenging conversations and effective communication skills Personal strategies to prevent burnout The training includes interactive presentations, group discussions, and short exercises.
• Other Educational Materials
  Participants in the control group will receive written or digital educational materials after the intervention period. No face-to-face training is provided during the study.

Primary outcome measures

• Change in Burnout Levels of Oncology Nurses [Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention]

Secondary outcome measures (2)

• Change in Compassion Fatigue Levels [Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention]
• Change in Emotional Awareness and Communication Skills [Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Employed as a nurse in an oncology unit for at least 6 months
• Voluntarily agrees to participate in the study
• Able to attend all training sessions
• Completes both pre-test and post-test questionnaires

Exclusion criteria

• Currently on leave or planning to take leave during the study period
• Has received prior structured training related to emotional awareness or communication skills within the past year
• Diagnosed with a severe psychological disorder that may affect participation

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Supportive care

Study locations

Turkey (Türkiye) · 1 center

• Ankara Etlik City Hospital — Ankara

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07231913 · 07/1398

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗