Communication between Patient and Nurse

While taking care of my patient on the cardiothoracic intensive care unit, I assisted another nurse who was helping her seventy-one year old patient ambulate to promote circulation and decrease the patient’s chance of developing pneumonia. It also helps the patient to build strength and confidence after such a major surgery like this patient underwent. This patient had come in with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and had a history of cocaine and alcohol abuse, atrial fibrillation, mitral regurgitation, and hypertension. She had a left ventricular assistive device placed, and ten days after the device had been placed, she was diagnosed with H1N1, had a tracheostomy performed, and was placed on the ventilator. Since she had to wear a mask when outside of her room and had a tracheostomy, it was really difficult to understand the patient’s needs, and this was very concerning to me.
If the nurse is unable to understand the needs of the patient, the patient is at risk. Grossbach, Stranberg, and Chlan (2011) state that “difficulties with communication often cause anxiety, frustration, and fear in patients.” (p. 47). Patients in the intensive care unit are already under an extensive amount of stress due to the criticalness of their illness, and they do not need to experience more stress because that can slow down the healing process. Therefore, it is pertinent to find alternative ways to effectively communicate with your patient when there are barriers, such as this patient had.
The nurse who I assisted to ambulate this patient was much more knowledgeable about the strategies developed to communicate with this patient than I was. When the nurse communicated with this patient, she spoke directly to the patient where the patient was able to ...

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...t could lead to detrimental effects.

Through this experience, I have become a better nurse. I am more aware of key strategies that I can use with my patients who are unable to clearly verbalize their needs, and I have a broader understanding and increased appreciation for communication. This is something many take for granted every day, and it is such an important factor in fulfilling our needs. Without communication, nurses are unable to provide care to patients because the nurses do not know what the patient’s needs are. Therefore, as nurses, it is extremely important and our responsibility to efficiently communicate with all of our patients each and every day.

Works Cited

Grossbach, I., Stranberg, S., & Chlan, L. (2011). Promoting Effective Communication for Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation. Critical Care Nurse, 31(3), 46-61. doi: 10.4037/ccn2010728