Effective Nurse Patient Communication

CONCEPT 3: BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE NURSE-PATIENT COMMUNICATION IN HEALTH CARE.
This concept is taken from Block 5, Module 3 which is entitled “Selected cultural parameters for nursing care”.
Communication is simply the sharing or transferring of data of information. In healthcare, nurse-patient communication involves giving out and obtaining information which allows the nurse to know the needs or problems and feelings of the patients.

3.1 Personal concept
In order to achieve great outcome of individualized or holistic care of patients, effective communication between the nurses and patients is required. Communication is a vital tool in nursing care. The purpose of nurse-patient communication is to create a nurse-patient therapeutic relationship,

In healthcare institutions, nurses are the backbone of every healthcare and always the first contact patients meet on the arrival into the hospital. The nurses’ ability to communicate effectively with patients influence patients’ care and their belief about care. Through effective communication, nurses help patients to know and understand their health problems and give them guide on how to care for themselves. Effective nurse-patient communication requires listening and honesty. This will enable patients to talk about health issues including emotional, social, mental problems that disturb them. In healthcare, certain factors affect good nurse-patient communication which are time, language, environment, shortage of nursing staff, assumptions etc. These factors lead to error in medication, misdiagnosis and even death. So, the need for good nurse-patient communication should be emphasized in nursing practice.
3.3 Application in current job
I really do know and understand the benefits of a good nurse-patient communication. It is a vital tool that guides the nurses to providing effective nursing care and making good clinical judgments. Some factors that affect communication with my patients at place of work include; inability to understand some patients’ languages, shortage of nurses, lack of time, assumptions, inadequate environment etc. These factors pose dangers to patients’

These factors not only lead to ineffective communication but can lead to misdiagnosis of patients’ health problems, wrong treatment pattern and death of patients as well.
3.5 Usefulness of concept to current world
Society- nurse-patient communication does not only help the patients but the relations as well because the nurse show concern to their feelings and the problems that affect them. Through nurse-patient communication, the nurse health educates the patients, families and communities on health promotion and illness prevention in order to live a healthy life. Communication also enhances the quality of acre given to patients and clients.
Nursing profession- with effective nurse-patient communication, misdiagnosis, wrong treatment pattern as well as deaths are avoided. The aim of nursing care is also achieved and nurses are satisfied with the care rendered to patients. Nurse-patient communication also makes nursing work easier.

CONCEPT 4: THE ROLES OF NURSES IN DIFFERENT HEALTHCARE DELIVERY