Nurse-patient Communication
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Nurse-Patient Communication
Introduction
The role of the nurse as a promoter of health and patient advocate is indispensable in the provision of quality care. Nurses are direct caregivers for patients and often spend the most time with patients when compared to other healthcare professionals. The effectiveness of any treatment plan depends on the ability of the nurse and patient to establish a relationship that allows the nurse to convey the medical knowledge to the patient and enhance the adoption of positive health behavior. Proper communication leads to the development of this relationship as well as its sustenance throughout the patient’s treatment. In this paper, the role of communication- verbal, non-verbal, and written- in the nurse-patient relationship is reviewed. The importance of these three skills is first assessed with reference to literature and then employed to the case of Chester, a patient who needs patient education to improve his health. Finally, the paper concludes with a review of the impact of proper communication on enhancing the provision of person-centered care.
Communication is defined as the process of exchanging information, including thoughts, feelings, and processes between two parties. Person-centered care is based on mutual trust, and sharing of collective knowledge (Hill, Hall, & Glew, 2017) achieved through communication. In the scope of the nurse, communication plays a critical role in enhancing treatment, prevention, therapy, education, and rehabilitation of patients (Fakhr-Movahedi et al., 2016). The implementation of all these skills relies on the communication abilities of the nurse who has to establish a dialogue with patients, utilizing verbal communication skills.
At the beginning of the therapeutic process, oral communication is especially important to develop the two-way process that allows the patient to describe how they are feeling to the nurse and assist them in the diagnostic process. The nurse takes in the information, relates it to other information, and comes up with a treatment plan for the patient. In this way, the verbal skills of the nurse have to reflect their expertise as well as the language to enhance collaboration with the patient. The nurse also has to convey to the patient that the condition and situation they are experiencing is understandable and that the nurse has enough experience in the area to assist the patient. This verbal communication also has to respect the language abilities of the patient to establish a connection (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2018). Where possible, for example, a patient who has a problem with English should be allowed to use a translator or talk to a nurse who understands their language.
Non-verbal communication involves the use of tone, gestures, eye contact, posture, and distance during communication. Vogel, Meyer, & Harendza (2018) illustrate the importance of various non-verbal communication skills in enhancing the process of history-taking during patient evaluation. These non-verbal skills help in establishing trust between the nurse and the patient. Eye-contact is crucial in this process as it enhances the feeling that the nurse understands and empathizes with the patient’s problems. Soft touch and welcome as the patient is settling into the nurse’s office can enable the patient to feel comfortable with the nurse, which allows openness that can make diagnosis easier (Kourkouta & Papathanasiou, 2014). The distance between the nurse and the patient may also reflect the closeness of the relationship between the two. Hand gestures and head nods are important assets that the nurse can use to convey an understanding of what the patient is saying, as well as ask about specific points of the body that the patient may need to clarify to help in diagnosis. Touch can also enhance the diagnostic process to determine pain, for example.
Proper documentation on the part of the nurse involves the use of notes to summarize a patient’s problem. Today’s electronic health systems may also require the nurse to input the diagnosis into a computer using specific codes that the nurse should learn. At the bedside, proper documentation and passing of information during shift changes is critical to the effectiveness of the treatment plan.
Scenario 3 presents an opportunity to offer person-centered care through the practice of person-centeredness and personhood in the provision of care. The patient needs to be empowered to improve the adoption of positive health behaviors. In the beginning, I would welcome the patient by standing, offering a hand, smiling, and inviting them to sit. I would introduce the conversation by asking how their health and family are fairing. I would then relay to the patient that their vital signs are okay at the moment, although there is a possibility that they would go up. For Chester, I would ask if he feels in good mental health and the coping strategies he is using to deal with the pressure of living away from family. I would also enquire about how his relationship is progressing, and probably offer some of my experience with long-distance relationships. I would reassure Chester about his work, probably with a touch on the hand, and emphasize the need to progressively try new things to find what he wants.
I would encourage Chester to talk to me about his use of cigarettes and alcohol and how he plans to manage the addictions. I would suggest a gradual approach to reduce the use of cigarettes to at least half a packet in a week and gradually to a cigarette a day. On my notepad, I would write down a few clinics and therapies and give them to Chester to try. I would use an emphatic but empathetic tone of voice to ensure the patient understood the importance of quitting cigarettes. About his sedentary lifestyle, I would show Chester some exercises he can do in the house by demonstrating simple stretches as well as music, entertainment, and group training, which he can use to make exercise interesting. I would engage Chester about the disadvantages of maintaining a diet without fruits and vegetables. I would encourage him to look around his neighborhood and even Aldi for simple vegetables and fruits he can enjoy. I would talk emphatically about the need for sunscreen and a hat in the hot sun to prevent sunburns that may be cancerous.
In conclusion, I would challenge Chester’s lack of religion and talk to him about the benefits of spirituality, even without following a specific religion. Engaging Chester on the drawbacks of his sedentary lifestyle requires that I use emphatic verbal language, use non-verbal communication and gestures to insist and show emphasis, and use writing to assist the patient in adopting better behavior. For nurses, such proper communication is critical to the provision of ultimate person-centered care.
References
Fakhr-Movahedi, A., Rahnavard, Z., Salsali, M., & Negarandeh, R. (2016). Exploring Nurse’s Communicative Role in Nurse-Patient Relations: A Qualitative Study. Journal of caring sciences, 5(4), 267–276. https://doi.org/10.15171/jcs.2016.028
Hill, R., Hall, H., & Glew, P. J. (2017). Introduction to nursing, midwifery, and person-centered care. In R. Hill, H. Hall, & P. J. Glew (Eds.), Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery: A Person-Centred Approach to Care. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Pty Ltd.
Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. V. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Materia socio-medica, 26(1), 65–67. https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2014.26.65-67
Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2018). Effective Communications. Nursing and Midwifery Council. Available at https://www.nursingandmidwiferycouncil.nsw.gov.au/effective-a communications
Vogel, D., Meyer, M., & Harendza, S. (2018). Verbal and non-verbal communication skills including empathy during history taking of undergraduate medical students. BMC medical education, 18(1), 157. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1260-9