The four-column format attached below should be used to complete the IPA. The information that should be included in the IPA includes:

1. on a cover sheet, a brief summary of the setting where the interaction took place, any pertinent events immediately preceding the interaction, the student's purpose for the interaction, and the student's feelings at the initiation of the interaction;
2. in the column labeled “client”, the client's actual verbal and nonverbal responses during the interaction; nonverbal responses may include tone of voice, facial expression, posture, position, hand gestures or other client activity; the recording should be descriptive enough to provide an accurate “picture” of what actually was observed but still be concise;
3. in the column labeled “nurse”, the student's actual verbal and nonverbal responses during the interaction aligned in a manner that the reader can follow the chronological flow of the interaction; as with the client, the nurse's nonverbal should be as accurate as possible;
4. in the column labeled “Analysis”, student analysis of the effectiveness of the interaction which should include:
   • the technique used by the nurse (i.e. student) and identification if it was therapeutic or not; include the rationale for why you used the technique that you used and evaluate its effectiveness based on the client response and how effective it was in moving the interaction toward the desired goal;
   • your feelings at the time and how these may have influenced your response;
   • impact of your personal beliefs and values on the communication process;
   • relevant theoretical perspectives that you believe may have influenced the client response or that you may have used to support your approach
   • reflection on the meaning of the exchange, noting especially changes in topic by either the client or the nurse and the nurse's response to feelings expressed by the client, either verbally or nonverbally;
   • influence, if any, that the stage of the relationship may have had on the interaction
5. in the column labeled “Alternative Responses”; list other techniques that you might have used; label the technique and provide a brief rationale stating why you believe it might have been more effective in moving toward the stated goal for the interaction; keep in mind that the purpose of the IPA is to develop more effective communication skills; therefore, identifying alternative responses is one of the more important components of the IPA; even if you believe that your approach was “therapeutic”, you should consider alternative approaches;
6. a summary evaluating the overall effectiveness of the interaction in terms of the stated purpose and the nurse's effectiveness in promoting a therapeutic interaction; identify goals for any future interactions; note any factors that influenced the interaction and state your strengths and areas to improve; for areas to improve, list specific strategies that you plan to use.

The student should seek to provide as accurate a recording of the interaction as possible. The best way to achieve this is to write down the client and nurse responses immediately following the interaction. Do not record any comments during the actual interaction. Any names used should be designated by initial only – do not record names! The most significant parts of the IPA are the columns for “Analysis” and “Alternative Responses”. Thus, even if the interaction was less effective than desired, the grading of the interaction is based primarily on the quality of the analysis. Thus, it is not helpful to modify your actual comments – try to record the interaction without embellishing it or modifying it to “correct” problems.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION