Communication in the Nursing Profession
Ineffective communication in the nursing profession is a common and persistent problem in many health facilities. Communication is an essential factor in the nursing profession because it contributes to the successful outcome of effective patient care. In an ideal health facility, communication should be two-way between the nursing staff, patients as well as doctors. One of the most critical duties of nurses is caregiving. When communication is ineffective, patient health and safety get compromised since the communication path between the people providing healthcare is strained. Physical barriers, such as sufficient lighting and lack of privacy, contribute to poor communication. Psychological factors such as anxiety and low self-esteem are barriers to communication in the nursing profession. Social barriers to effective communication include culture and social backgrounds. Ineffective communication decreases the quality of care provided. When nurses cannot communicate clearly with patients, it is impossible to know what service to render. Also, poor communication leads to low self-esteem. When senior staff in the hospital does not give a voice to nurses, the nurses get low self-esteem. Also, poor communication leads to poor working conditions. Due to poor communication, working conditions become poor since nurses cannot raise their concerns without fear of intimidation from senior staff. Due to inadequate communication systems, the management systems in healthcare facilities have become inefficient. According to Vertino (2014), poor communication in a health facility increases unresolved emotional issues which contribute to poor working environments. In a situation where nurses cannot raise concerns, they lack a motivation to provide quality patient care.
Nurses should be given a voice to raise concern over poor working environments. In line with the American Nurses Association (2019), nurses are capable of improving health and healthcare as long as they operate in a safe, empowering, and pleasant environment. In a hierarchical establishment, concerns of junior staff get mostly brushed aside. Although the junior staff is at the ground and they understand where the problems originate. Therefore, giving such staff a voice and taking their opinions seriously would improve working conditions. Ohio implemented this strategy, and it increased the health care system. According to, the University of New Mexico, (2016), research shows that communication in nursing not only benefits the patients, but the nurses as well because nurses who communicate well with their coworkers tend to witness an improvement in morale as well as job satisfaction. Since nurses form the grassroots level of patient care, they can point out factors that degrade their working conditions and how such issues can get resolved to improved patient care.
In line with Ohio Nurses Association (2016), giving a voice to nurses is the first step of achieving a productive work environment. When the nurses can comfortably raise issues to the management, they can provide valuable suggestions on how to improve work conditions. Nurses feel undermined when the problems they raise get brushed off by the administration (Mike, 2016). Therefore, nurses have to be content with working in poor conditions due to lack of a voice.
Short staffing is a huge problem in the nursing industry, which has adverse effects on patients as well as nurses. The poor working environment is the most adverse problem resulting from short staffing. Giving nurses a voice would combat poor working environments. When nurses are empowered, they can point out problems and offer solutions based on what they experience.
References
American Nurses Association. (2019). Healthy Work Environment . Retrieved June 18, 2019, from American Nurses Association: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/
Mike. P. (2016, May 13). Giving Nurses a Voice. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from Magnatag: https://www.magnatag.com/blog/post/giving-nurses-a-voice
Ohio Nurses Association. (2016, October 14). The Nurse’s Secret to Having a Voice at the Workplace. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from Ohio Nurses Association: http://ohnurses.org/nurses-secret-voice-workplace/
The University of New Mexico. (2016, September 23). Importance of Communication in Nursing. Retrieved June 22, 2019, from The University of New Mexico: https://rnbsnonline.unm.edu/articles/importance-of-communication-in-nursing.aspx
Vertino, K. A. (2014). Effective interpersonal communication: A practical guide to improve your life. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(3), 1-6.