The Role of Communication in Patient-Centered Care

Effective Communication in Patient-Centered Care

Effective communication is one of the fundamentals of patient-centered care that fosters trust and understanding between the client and the care giver (Noh & Lee, 2018). Communication also provides to the clients clear, accurate and efficient nursing services that in the long run guarantee client satisfaction and positive feedback for the nursing fraternity (O’hagan et al., 2014; Turkelson, Aebersold, Redman, & Tschannen, 2017). Good communication between the client and the care provider has been established as integral to the successful outcome of personalized care for each patient that attends a healthcare facility. To achieve the envisioned better outcomes nurses are expected to show a great sense of understanding when handling their clients by having the ability to demonstrate to the patients; courtesy, kindness and sincerity (Yeh, 2017).

The Importance of Clear and Confidential Communication

According to Al-Hamdan, Banerjee & Manojlovich (2018), a positive outcome is also guaranteed when nurses devote their time to the patient while ensuring that every communication between them is guarded by confidentiality. The language of communication, therefore, must be understood by all those that participate in it (Gausvik et al., 2015). It is also critical to realize that good communication depends a lot on individual abilities of the nurse though to some extent, education and experience play a critical role in shaping how nurses deliver their messages to patients (Bramhall, 2014).

Challenges in Nurse-Patient Communication

Despite the role of the nurse to foster successful communication for positive patient outcomes, there are instances when they fail to deliver on their mandate to make the patient comfortable and ready for treatment (Rani, 2017). Sometimes, nurses fail to understand that the patients under their charge come to the hospital in great stress and in need of emotional support. Hence nurse rudeness, lack of attention to patient needs, inability to uphold patient confidentiality will ultimately lead to negative outcomes.

References

Al‐Hamdan, Z., Banerjee, T., & Manojlovich, M. (2018). Communication With Physicians as a            Mediator in the Relationship Between the Nursing Work Environment and Select Nurse           Outcomes in Jordan. Journal of Nursing Scholarship.

Bramhall, E. (2014). Effective communication skills in nursing practice. Nursing Standard         (2014+), 29(14), 53.

Gausvik, C., Lautar, A., Miller, L., Pallerla, H., & Schlaudecker, J. (2015). Structured nursing            communication on interdisciplinary acute care teams improves perceptions of safety, efficiency, understanding of care plan and teamwork as well as job satisfaction. Journal         of multidisciplinary healthcare, 8, 33.

Noh, Y. G., & Lee, I. (2018). Effect of Stepwise Communication Education Program using   SBAR among Nursing Students: Focusing on Scenarios and Nursing Case-based Role    Playing. Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education, 24(2), 115-126.

O’hagan, S., Manias, E., Elder, C., Pill, J., Woodward‐Kron, R., McNamara, T., ... & McColl, G.      (2014). What counts as effective communication in nursing? Evidence from nurse       educators’ and clinicians’ feedback on nurse interactions with simulated patients. Journal         of advanced nursing, 70(6), 1344-1355.

Rani, M. (2017). Improving Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Communication in an Acute Care      Setting.

Turkelson, C., Aebersold, M., Redman, R., & Tschannen, D. (2017). Improving nursing             communication skills in an intensive care unit using simulation and nursing crew    resource management strategies. Journal of nursing care quality, 32(4), 331-339.

Yeh, P. M. (2017). The Effective Strategies of Teaching Nursing Students’ Therapeutic             Communication in the Psychiatric Mental Health Unit.