Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Nurse–Patient Communication Crisis Management (NPCCM) Training System for Nurses in China

Background Effective nurse–patient communication is fundamental to patient safety, quality of care, and professional nursing practice. However, structured preparation for communication in crisis-prone and high-pressure clinical environments remains limited, particularly for frontline nurses. Objective This study aimed to develop and evaluate a competency-based Nurse–Patient Communication Crisis Management (NPCCM) training system designed to strengthen nurses’ communication performance, emotional regulation, and self-efficacy in high-risk clinical contexts. Methods A quasi-experimental single-group pre–post design was conducted among 185 clinical nurses in a tertiary hospital. The NPCCM programme was developed through needs assessment, literature review, and expert consultation, and implemented over seven months using a staged five-phase structure: cognitive construction, strategy acquisition, guided immersion, role-play with feedback, and on-site competency assessment. Outcomes were measured using validated instruments assessing conflict management styles, communication capacity with angry patients, emotional intelligence, and general self-efficacy. Paired-samples t-tests and Cohen’s d were used to examine pre–post differences. Results Significant improvements were observed across key outcome measures following the intervention (all p  < 0.001), with moderate to large effect sizes ( d  = 0.63–1.00). Specifically, conflict resolution scores increased from 78.79 ± 10.66 to 86.89 ± 10.28, angry communication scores improved from 78.86 ± 9.63 to 86.70 ± 8.13, and self-efficacy scores rose markedly from 16.60 ± 2.39 to 23.14 ± 2.22. Emotional intelligence demonstrated the largest effect size. Participant feedback further indicated high perceived relevance and strong practical applicability of the training model, with overall training satisfaction exceeding 4.8 out of 5. Conclusion The NPCCM programme provides a structured, competency-oriented framework for strengthening crisis communication capacity among clinical nurses. Findings suggest that emergency communication skills and emotional regulation can be enhanced through staged, theory-informed educational design. Further controlled and longitudinal research is needed to confirm sustainability and generalisability.