The Importance Of Communication As An Aspect Of Partnership Within Current Nursing Care

Communication is the foundation of interdisciplinary patient care for those working with hospice and palliative care populations (Wittenberg-Lyles, Oliver, Demiris, Petty, & Day, 2008). Shared communication between the nurse, patient, and caregiver is fundamental in decreasing caregiver stress and improving both the bereavement process experienced by the family as well as the symptom management issues experienced by the patient (Ellington, Reblin, Clayton, Berry, & Mooney, 2012). Two types of shared communication methods often found in hospice include face-to-face verbal and non-verbal communication.

In nursing practice, communication is essential, and good communication skills are paramount in the development of a therapeutic nurse/patient relationship. This aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of communication in nursing, demonstrating how effective communication facilitates a therapeutic

McCabe C. (2004) Nurse-patient communication: an exploration of patients’ experiences. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 13, 41-49.

Communication is key to effective healthcare practices. According to American Journal Of Critical Care (2014), Patient-centered care starts with “effective communication, being empathetic and available, avoiding personal prejudges, and listening therapeutically are integral parts of patient-centered care” (Riley, White, Graham, Alexandrov, 2014, p. 320). This will improve communication; promote patient involvement in care, which creates a positive relationship with the healthcare provider and medical team. This results in improved adherence to treatment plan. Clinical practice guidelines need to be implemented for the patient and family members to be able to be involved in informed decision-making regarding healthcare needs. The fundamental core of nursing is to have a partnership with the patient and their family regarding the patient’s outcome.

Lacking explanation or miscommunication for changes in the treatment plan or level of care can cause many medical errors and result in patient harms. There are complaints from patients, and their families regarding nurses do not spend the time to inform them of their daily medical conditions and help them to understand their diseases,

This essay will highlight one of the key concepts of nursing .The concept that will be discussed in this essay will be communication, the reason for this chosen concept is that communication plays a vital role in everyday occurrences which defines how a situation is perceived by yourself, others and how communication is effectively handled . There will be a definition on what communication is also an evaluation of the chosen concept will be explored throughout this essay.

As a nurse, communication is an essential and important factor to building a therapeutic relationship between a nurse and patient as it is the difference between average and excellent nursing care, as it helps maintain a good quality of life and allows nurses’ and patients to interact and provide comfort when needed. The importance of good communication can become apparent with patients especially when they are in the hospital, as it helps the nurses build a positive relationship with patients and helps overcome barriers including physical, psychological and social. A therapeutic relationship is built on many factors which include both verbal and non-verbal communication which helps maintains the relationship and strengthens it due to the positive impact it has not only on the patient’s experience but also the nurse’s.

Effective communication through person centered care are essential for health profession, specifically in nursing care. Mueller (2016) noted that it occurs mainly through transaction modes where the patient and the nurse are on common grounds through mutual understanding. The competent communication practice of Person centered care allows the nurse to recognize patients as people and not by their illness. Moreover, person centered care satisfies patients by providing informational support to them and their families. In addition, to form a client -nurse relationship, therapeutic communication accentuates the care provider, through non-verbal, verbal and cultural norms. Lastly self-awareness allows the nurse to be aware of the patient’s

Effective communication in the healthcare setting improves recovery rates and reduces pain and complication rates. (Wilkinson et al, 2003). Many complaints to the NHS are attributed to poor communication. Effective communication is reliant on the nurse working in partnership with the patient. It is essential that the nurse establishes a rapport and most of this will be achieved through the use of facial expressions. In my practice, it is important that develop a therapeutic relationship with the patients so that they can be able to put their trust in me. The therapeutic relationship is solely to meet the needs of the patient. In this relationship, there is a rapport established from a sense of mutual understanding and trust. To build a good nurse-patient relationship, I would have to show qualities of empathy, caring, sincerity and trustworthiness. During practice, if I am approaching a patient and the patient looks anxious, I should approach with empathy.

In summary, professional communication is a very core for the therapeutic relationship. In detail, knowing how to create a successful communication will show the sincere intention of the nurse to patients’ concern because they are not only sufficient to assist patients’ data but also convey the message that patient can trust then accept. Therefore, choosing to be a nurse means increasing interpersonal communication knowledge and skills. Nurses should always remember this as a basic qualified standard to reflect of how they sympathize with

These five factors are replicated and demonstrated in modern nursing practice, these factors are recognised to improve a patient's health and well-being. The element of listening is implemented to have the ability to interpret and listen to a patient's primary information or to understand a family relative's concern, as well as ensuring accuracy when reporting medical issues to another health care professional, as well as being able to demonstrate precision when explaining and analysing symptoms, diagnosis and progress. As stated previously communication is used to collaborate analysed data about the patient to ensure the patient is provided with professional and accurate interpersonal nursing

Kourkouta, L. & Papathanasiou, I. (2014). Communication in Nursing Practice. Mater Sociomed, 26(1), 65. http://dx.doi.org/10.5455/msm.2014.26.65-67

Effective communication is an indispensable aspect of patient’s wellbeing and quality of care. Furthermore, it brings about the association between the nurse and the patient and has an insightful impact on the patient’s opinion of health care quality and the results of treatment. Effective communication is the vital in nursing care as it provides quality services and this in turn, satisfies the patients.2 In communication, barriers refer to the factors that hinder or interrupt healthcare communication. The impediments include gender discrepancy between nutrition specialist and the patient; this may be a hindrance since some patients may not feel free to discuss some issues. Besides, communication between the professional and the patient may be affected by the problem experienced by the patient may not be solved. The patient’s physical discomfort, anxiety, and pain may hinder communication in that the patient may not be in the mood to talk or address how he feels.

In this paper, I will discuss a nursing situation which I witnessed, which emphasized the significance of communication and understanding opposing perspectives for developing a therapeutic relationship between the nurse and the family (See Appendix).

The Bughan & Smith (2013) identifies that people admitted to hospital often feels vulnerable. They are more likely to feel anxious about treatment and worried about their health outcome. Therefore, nurses need to ensure the patient explained about an ongoing investigation or medication and its possible outcomes (RCN, 2015). Nurses providing such information to Margaret will not only facilitate to build a good therapeutic relationship, but also it will help to reassure her and increase confidence to seek treatment (Brooker, & Waugh, 2013).