Why it is necessary for nurse to communicate effectively and communication between the nurse the patient and other health professionals
Nursing is a collaborative profession where interpersonal communication is very essential. Nurses must communicate effectively with other nurses and other medical staff in order to provide the appropriate medical care and treatment for their patients. Effective communication promotes high levels of customer satisfaction and quality care while preventing common medical accidents.
Nurses play a very important role in social interactions between patient and caregiver. They must be able to perceive accurately the appropriateness of interpersonal interactions. A nurse’s role is both as an interviewer and as a teacher. A nurse needs to be an effective listener who asks the right questions and at the same time operates in the role of an instructor, relaying important information. Communication skills have been identified as the main cause of health care issues. (Papa, Joey.)
As the ‘‘central act of medicine’’, the consultation is the place where patients and healthcare professionals interface. It is where therapeutic relationships are formed and, when conducted well, where information is exchanged and patients’ needs and concerns are recognized and addressed. Consultations are part of the ‘‘cycle of care’’, where patients learn about their disease, come to terms with their condition and are given the ability to share in its management. (Booker, R. 93)
The personal values and beliefs of the healthcare professional may enhance or impede communication. A healthcare professional who believes that one should be the master of one’s own fate is less likely to be sympathetic to patients whose beliefs do not accord with their own. A healthcare professional are human beings and factors such mood, tiredness and distraction can affect the consultation. (Booker R. 94)
An especially sensitive issue is the communication with patients with terminal illnesses and their families. The nurse-patient relationship, family caregiver needs, communication, and experience of dying in end-of-life/hospice care were examined. Common themes that emerged included the similarities between the nurse-patient relationship and communication, the effectiveness of using a team approach in communication, the needs of caregivers for more effective communication and information regarding end-of-life care, and maintaining closeness and normalcy with their loved one until death. (Lowey, Susan E.) Again, good and effective communication is stressed.
Foreign nurses especially have many things to adjust to as the practice of nursing is different in every country of the world. There are the language barriers to overcome, the culture is different, the ways nurses are perceived are different, and the way the patient and medical staff communicate is different, etcetera. Foreign nurses therefore have to do more than just treatments and procedures.
Verbal communication is vital when holding human lives in your hands. Being able to read and write the language and to understand or correctly interpret written language is equally as important. Nurses must be able to effectively communicate with other nurses, with patients and their families. (Foreign Nurses & Effective Communication. Nurse Together. http://www.nursetogether.com/GlobalNursing/GlobalNursingArticles/GlobalNursingArticle/tabid/108/itemId/925/Foreign-Nurses-Effective-Communication-.aspx, retrieved 4 May, 2011.)”
Foreign nurses need to understand that if they do not understand what is being said to them that they should speak up and ask to have it repeated. The natural reaction if one is unsure of their language skills is to be embarrassed and say “yes” automatically when in reality they did not understand. One has to make sure that the instructions are clear and understood to avoid pitfalls.
Communicating does not come naturally for everyone. Assertiveness and Communication Skills Training is available to nurses and is a very imperative skill to learn in this profession. These programs teach strategies and techniques to communicate better and help ensure that your voice is heard in the workplace. These seminars also help nurses from personalizing criticism which is very common. Nurses also learn the difference between being assertive versus being aggressive.
AUSMED is a company established in 2002 in Australia which specializes in providing high quality health care education in the forms of Conferences, Seminars, Study Days, Symposiums and Customized in service education for Health Care professionals. One of their offered courses is Assertiveness and Communication Skills for Nurses. In their workshop they aim to accomplish the following:
· Communicate your opinion in an appropriate, clear and assertive manner.
· Describe a technique which prevents you from taking criticism personally.
· Have new insights into why you find it difficult to assert yourself at work.
· Have better insight as to why your communication may be misinterpreted.
· Describe the difference between aggression and passive aggression and why they are both unacceptable workplace behaviors.
· Develop an action plan to improve your personal sills when communicating with a difficult person.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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