The Effects of a Peer Coaching Supervision Program on the Perception of the Breast Cancer Patient Referral process among Health Personnel in Primary Care Units

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research with a two-group,  pre-post results approach aimed to compare the perceptions of the breast cancer patient referral process of health personnel in primary care units before and after receiving a peer coaching supervision program. The sample consisted of 48 health personnel in primary care units, divided equally into experimental and a control groups with 24 people in each group. The experimental group received the 13-hours peer coaching supervision program and the control group received conventional teaching. The research instruments were 1) the peer coaching supervision program, and 2) a questionnaire on the perception of the breast cancer patient referral process which had a content validity index (CVI) of 0.98 and a reliability of 0.98. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and paired t and independent t tests.  Independent t-tests were used to compare the differences in the perception of the breast cancer patient referral process between the experimental and the control groups.

The results revealed that, after participating in the peer coaching supervision program, the experimental group had a significantly higher mean score for overall perception of the breast cancer patient referral process at a high level. Regarding the perceptions of specific aspects of the process, the mean score for the perception of patient assessment and screening was high, followed by the perception of the referral process guidelines, which was also at a high level. The mean score for the perception of the breast cancer patient referral process after the experiment was significantly higher than before the experiment, and higher than the control group (p < .001). This study suggests that managing health services to achieve personnel development goals can benefit from using peer coaching supervision tools, which enhance the knowledge and understanding of health personnel. This ultimately ensures that clients receive services that meet standards.