Communication is defined by the American Nurses Association (2013) as reflection in the competencies that embrace effectively communication information and ideas in writing and verbally as well as expressing ideas clearly and concisely and inspiring others. Communication is imperative to human interaction for without it, people cannot relate to those around them, make their needs and concerns known, or make sense of what is happening to them (Casey 2011). Communication in nursing occurs everyday and it plays a crucial role in the management of patients and the quality of care delivered. Because communication occurs with both verbal and non-verbal signals, nurses need to be aware of not just thoughts, opinions, and ideas, but also of feelings, emotions, and non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and touch. Nurses who communicate effectively are better to able to collect assessment data, initiate interventions, evaluate outcome of interventions, initiate change that promotes health, and prevent legal problems associated with nursing practices (Berman et al, 2008, p. 460). Nurses need to be aware of good communication skills and what barriers come along with communication. Communication barriers include distractions, inadequate knowledge, stress, poor planning, differences in perception, emotions, and personality (Berman et al, 2008, p. 471). Good communication includes establishing a clear purpose, actively listening, being compassionate, telling the truth, being flexible, and committing to resolution (Berman et al, 2008, p. 474). Communication is vital to ensure optimal patient care and safety. Influencing Nursing Practice According to Casey (2011), “Nurses and nursing staff are at the heart of the communication process: th... ... middle of paper ... ... work on therapeutic communication. For example, with online discussion boards you are able to provide general leads, use open-ended questions, be specific, seek clarification, practice focusing and reflecting, and summarize and plan (Berman et al, 2008, p. 470). In some cases the student may find that may want to respond in a non therapeutic way such as agreeing, disagreeing, passing judgment, changing topics, becoming defensive or challenging responses (Berman et al, 2008, p. 471). By writing out your response and reading it before you post it, the student nurse may recognize this and in turn re-write it to be more of a therapeutic response. By integrating this all together, the nurse will become more aware of their communication strengths as well as recognizing the areas that need improvement, bringing positive outcomes while providing quality care to patients.
“Communication is the heart of nursing… your ability to use your growing knowledge and yourself as an instrument of care and caring and compassion” (Koerner, 2010, as cited in Balzer-Riley, 2012, p. 2). The knowledge base which Koerner is referring to includes important concepts such as communication, assertiveness, responsibility and caring (Balzer-Riley, 2012). Furthermore, communication is complex. It includes communication with patients, patient families, doctors, co-workers, nurse managers and many others. Due to those concepts and the variety of people involved, barriers and issues are present. Knowing how to communicate efficiently can be difficult.
...Apler, J. P. (2006). Professional nurse communications skills sets in health care team interactions. Journal of Professional Nursing , 22 (2), 180-189.
Nurses today need to have excellent communication skills. Receiving information from patients is the most important aspect of nursing. If nurses are unable to communicate with their patient then they would not be able to have a relationship with them. Communication is where two or more people interact with each other, by using sounds and words, this is verbal communication. Some individuals have different behaviors where they try to express themselves to others without using spoken words, this is non verbal communication. Once nurses have the proper communication tools, techniques and evidence based practice, when communicating with their patient, they would get the necessary information needed from the patient to properly diagnosis them.
Good communication encourages collaboration and helps prevent errors. Strategies to help promote good communication and collaboration should include concepts such as self-awareness, creating opportunities for different ideas to come together and clarifying communication. “Respecting the views of other disciplines and communicating in an organized, thoughtful manner has an impact on how practitioners from other disciplines perceive the nurse’s role and value as a competent health care professional” (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). AD identified strategies such as; resourcefulness, teachable moments, a good work ethic and strong leadership as being important to her teams as well. Teams that are effective are characterized by common purpose and intent, trust, respect, and collaboration. Team members value familiarity over formality and watch out for each other to make sure mistakes are not made. A collaborative experience shared by AD, was working with an LPN that was diligent in asking questions and providing information to AD and other team members. This LPN was also good at listening to what others had to say and incorporating suggestions into her care practices. AD believes that because this LPN did her job in regards to knowing her abilities and communicating relevant information that potential near misses were avoided. AD felt that because of this LPN’s
According to Boykin “Caring is the foundation of nursing” (Boykin et al, 2011), and it is the nurses’ responsibility to understand what it means to be caring toward patients, which can be achieved through having professional communication skills. Not only does not being able to communicate affect the patient, but also it affects how the nurse is able to do his or her job to the best they can. Smith and Pressman say that the Institute of Medicine has released reports, which stress, “good communication is critical to ensuring safe and reliable nursing” (Smith & Pressman, 2010). Bad communication skills have the potential to be more dangerous to the patient and can in tern make a life-threateni...
Through contemporary communication, we are educated to deliver exceptional care to our patient in different. As nurse practitioners, we learned how to effectively
A nurse needs communication skills when engaging with a patient, their family or coworkers. This ability is especially key when providing effective advocacy for a patient. A nurse can use communication when advocating for a client by knowing patient rights and knowledge about the health care system. This is able to help the nurse educate patients on how to achieve better care and give them ongoing support.
Communication plays a crucial, central part to any and all nursing care. It is what develops a relationship between nurse and patient through both verbal and non-verbal interactions. Communication is included in the NMBA's competency standards because of its high level of importance to effective nursing care. Without therapeutic communication nurses would be unable to discover important and often crucial information about patients. Therefore effective interpersonal communication is what drives nursing care and decisions made about patients and their individual care plans. There are many different skills needed and available to nurses to communicate with their patients in the best way possible. In order to communicating appropriately with patients
Communication is an important concept of caring in nursing because the nurse has to know how to communicate efficiently in order to get the patient to trust the nurse enough to open up to the nurse and also the nurse needs to communicate respectfully to show the patient that they genuinely do care about their health and want to help them as much as they
The registered nurse meets the standards of professional practice by communicating effectively in all areas of their practice. The nurse meets the guidelines mentioned in the former by not only assessing their own communication skills, but also by maintaining communication with the entire interdisciplinary team. Additionally, the registered nurse displays communication styles which embody care, respect, listening, authenticity, and trust to all patients. Overall, the registered nurse strives to not only meet all communication competencies, but also ensures to endeavor towards continuous improvement of their overall communication skills (American Nurses
Communication is top priority when it comes to nursing. Open communication should start on the first encounter with the patient. Communication barriers can hinder adequate care. Communication between the patient and the nurse is confidential and to ensure valuable communication is to ensure confidentalality. When communication is place as top priority it allows an easier transition for the patient and ensures effective safe care.
Effective communication in the professional setting is defined as building trust with the client, collecting information, expressing emotion and needs and supporting the client in decision making (Frenkel & Cohen, 2012). Communication connects to prior visits, includes family involvement, personal and professional experiences of the clinician and the patient. Effective communication is an important practice in nursing and other health care professions and aims to provide the best care that is available to the patient and improve client outcomes. This essay will explain, describe and discuss rapport building and non-verbal communication skills included in the video, as well as the importance in effective communication for all health care professions. The second component of the essay will be my reflection of the use of those skills in a recorded nurse patient situation.
As a nurse, one of the many important concepts taught is the importance of effective and therapeutic, two way communication.
Effective communication skills are a vital ability for nursing students to master. Nurses will not be able to successfully establish strong patient relationships without this ability. It will also be harder for students to hold functional conversations with patients. In psychiatric nursing units, communication and understanding is a core quality to have. However, therapeutic communication teachings are not readily accessible for students. Limitations such as patient refusals, decreased length of stay, and the severity of mental illnesses decrease patient contact. Consequently, it is rare for nursing students to have direct interaction with patients, hindering the growth of their communication skills.
Verbal communication skills allow for the patient to clearly understand what the nurse is trying to portray. The use of simplicity, clarity, relevance and adaptability are examples on how a nurse will need to adapt this skill. Without this skill vital information may not be transferred from client to nurse. Verbal communication skills play a role in obtaining subjective and objective data from the patient by allowing the nurse to ask open ended questions, thus then the nurse gives adequate time for the patient to