Experiences from a communication training programme of paid carers in a residential rehabilitation centre for people with traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: To determine the impact of a communication training programme by exploring the experiences of paid carers who attended the programme in a residential rehabilitation centre for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Method: Five paid carers attended a communication training programme which comprised 17 hours (across 8 weeks). Semi-structured interviews were conducted pre- and post-training. Analysis used a generic procedure with constant comparative analysis to identify categories across and within interview transcripts.

Results: Paid carers described improved knowledge and use of strategies, improved communication, positive emotional experiences and barriers and facilitators to consider for future communication training programmes.

Conclusion: Training communication skills of paid carers in a residential rehabilitation centre had a positive impact on their conversations with people with TBI. These positive changes support quantitative findings for the effectiveness of communication training.