Effective communication is one of the American Nurses Association’s Standards of Professional Performance. “The registered nurse communicates clearly in all areas of practice,” according to the standard. Effective communication concepts include proving suitable verbal and nonverbal communication, using verbal and nonverbal communication skills in nursing, being aware of personal space, and trying to overcome common barriers to effective communication.
What exactly is communication?
Communication is a process with many facets. Communication is a fluid process that allows people to share information. This procedure necessitates using three factors (Linear model): the sender, receiver, and message. Communication would be impossible if any of these elements were missing.
Effective communication necessitates knowledge of proper verbal and nonverbal communication techniques and potential barriers to good communication. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, effective communication skills are required before a nurse can register because they are essential to a nurse’s care delivery.
Reflecting on interaction in exercise will reinforce communication theory and allow a nurse to examine negative and positive communication in various situations. This will reinforce effective communication skills in various situations, allowing for a more personal, social, and therapeutic nurse-patient relationship.
This assignment explains the importance of healthcare communication in nursing:
- Investigating verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as potential barriers
- A greater understanding of the importance of effective communication is gained by investigating the fundamentals of care outlined by the Welsh Assembly and the midwife and midwifery council’s code of conduct.
- Practicing reflection using a situation from my society posting.
What is nursing communication?
What is nursing communication? Communication is fundamental to exchanging ideas through words, sounds, or gestures. Communication, whether written or verbal, aids in the transmission of information. Communication is constantly used in nursing to create a consistent care plan for patients.
Nurses use written communication when documenting the care they provide during their shifts. To explain important patient information to other members of the care team or the patient’s family, oral communication is used. Nurses must have strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with their peers.
Verbal communication in nursing
What is verbal communication in nursing? Verbal communication is delivered through spoken language and can be formal or informal. Speech is one of the primary ways we interact and is a good method for gathering data through a question-and-answer process (an essential part of communication). As a result, verbal communication in nursing should be viewed as a democratic primary and a powerful tool in patient assessment.
There are two types of questions: open-ended and closed questions. Open-ended questions usually elicit more than one word in response and begin with what, who, where, when, why, and how. It encourages the patient to discuss their condition and feelings to obtain a more detailed assessment. Open-ended questions give the patient the impression that the nurse is paying attention to them and that they are being heard. It allows for a psychological focus to be given, and this sense of interest in all aspects of the patient’s care allows for the development of a therapeutic relationship.
Closed questions seek exact details about the individual. They excel at gathering factual data in a short amount of time. There are two kinds of closed questions: focused questions and multiple-choice questions. Focused questions are more likely to elicit information about a specific clinical situation (for example, asking a patient who has been prescribed Ibuprofen, “Are you asthmatic?”), whereas multiple-choice questions are more likely to elicit information about the assessed condition. It can be used as a tool to help the patient describe their pain, for example, whether it is dull, sharp, or throbbing.
Good listening skills are required for effective verbal communication. Difficulties in sharing information, concerns, or feelings may arise if the person you are communicating with believes you are not paying attention and are not interested in what they are saying. Active listening can help you understand the patient’s latest health problems. Poor listening could be caused by text overload, physical noise, insufficient effort, or psychological noise. As a result, being ready to listen and put in the effort and time are essential in the role of a nurse.
Nonverbal communication in nursing
This type of communication does not use spoken language and can be more effective than spoken words. Nonverbal communication accounts for 60 to 65 percent of all human communication, and these behaviors can reveal information about the patient’s feelings and emotions. The importance of non-verbal communication in nursing is that it serves as a substitute for speech, reinforces verbal communication, controls the flow of communication, conveys emotions, helps define relationships, and provides feedback. The verbal and paralanguage (vocal) integration can impact the communication received.
The tone and pitch of our voice, as well as volume and speed, all play a role in nonverbal communication. In his opinion, personality is demonstrated by how paralanguage is used and by adding depth of meaning to the presentation of the message.
In studies where dialect has no real prevalence in conveying emotional feelings, the person can understand the emotion even if they don’t understand what is being said. As a result, paralanguage is an important tool in determining a patient’s emotional state.
Nonverbal actions (kinesis) such as body language, touch, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact can convey messages. Our faces can express a wide range of emotions by using universal facial expressions of emotion. When we are surprised, we raise our brows, and when we are shocked, we open our eyes wider.
First impressions are critical for effective interaction; remembering to smile with eyes and your tongue can help you interact with an approachable and open person. This can help assure a patient experiencing anxiety.
The value of interaction in nursing
The importance of communication in nursing stems from the nurse’s ability to convey important information to others. Nurses act as a liaison between the physician and various professionals. Nurses complete a hand-off report at the end of each shift. This is an oral report given by the nurse for whom the shift will end to the nursing assistant whose shift is beginning. Every patient is protected, and the nurse starting their transition should have a full picture of every patient’s care. This transfer must be done clearly and efficiently. If this is not accomplished, patients may be unable to receive the appropriate care.
Nursing notes are a written version of a hand-off report. A good nursing note should be written so that any healthcare professional can refer to it and understand the care provided and the patient’s health status. Effective documentation is critical in nursing because these are binding legal files that can be evaluated in court.
Nurses also interact with other healthcare providers who work together to support the patient. Nurses provide information about a patient’s condition to healthcare professionals, registered dieticians, physiotherapists, speech therapists, and other nurses. Nurses provide direct care to clients daily, acting as a liaison between the client and other healthcare professionals.
In some healthcare settings, nurses liaise between patients and their loved ones. When a patient’s condition changes, a nurse is responsible for informing the patient’s family. The nurse contacts the patient’s family when a person falls, or an infectious disease worsens. Nurses must be proficient in clear communication styles to accomplish their position as healthcare communicators.
Obstacles to effective communication
Understanding communication barriers is also critical for effective communication and, if overlooked, could result in communication failure. According to the Welsh Assembly’s Fundamentals of Care, many health and social care issues were caused by communication breakdowns. These barriers could be the messenger’s judgemental or power-seeking demeanour.
Environmental barriers, such as a crowded ward and a stressed-out nurse, may impede effective communication. As Endacott suggests, this can significantly reduce the degree of compassion and communication provided.
People with learning disabilities face communication challenges because they cannot communicate verbally or understand complex new information. As a result, communication breaks down, and their healthcare needs are unmet.
It emphasizes that when communicating effectively with patients, the law and the NMC standards for consent and secrecy must be followed. This also includes delegating to other professionals. He believes that regardless of age, religion, gender, or race, a patient’s right to independence should be upheld and respected without any impact or intimidation. Communication is essential in practice, and the ability to reflect on past experiences helps better understand both good and bad interactions.
Plan of action
The plan aims to increase patient participation in using the computer as an interactive website. Allowing the physician to see what is on the computer monitor and being written makes the patient feel more involved in the evaluation. It removes any feelings of inferiority caused by social class differences.
The following steps would’ve been taken in an attempt to achieve these objectives:
- Form a team to investigate the problem, including nursing staff or other hospital personnel.
- Creating a feedback questionnaire to investigate how clients feel about the computer’s closed questions, including a section on how they would perceive if they were permitted to look at the screen.
- Gathering, analyzing, and reviewing feedback results
- Identify obstacles to plan implementation (e.g., the willingness of nurses to this change).
- Inform the NMC about the issues and results of the feedback questionnaire.
- The plan’s implementation.
- Form an evaluation and monitoring team to ensure the plan is properly implemented.
All in all
This assignment examined communication and its significance in nursing practice. Thus, communication is an iterative process that involves the interaction of one or more people using verbal and nonverbal methods. Understanding communication barriers contribute significantly to how effectively a nurse communicates in practice. In nursing, questioning has proven to be an effective tool for assessing patients and gathering information. How this is done may impact the development of empathy, trust, genuineness, and respect between the nurse and the patient. Nurses must reflect on their communication to improve the therapeutic relationship between them and the patient, which has been identified as critical in care delivery.
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