The training of nurses until recently concentrated primarily on the technical side of patient care. Interaction with the patient cannot be limited to medical procedures, even if they are performed with high quality and according to all standards. One of the most important conditions for successful interaction between a nurse and a patient is the presence of psychological contact between them. The communication technique is necessary to correctly approach the patient, their relatives, and other medical workers involved. Communication skills in nursing require special knowledge because the nurse needs to consider the patient’s health and physical and mental condition. There are many articles on the topic of communication in nursing, describing different techniques to improve healthcare. Not only that but assessing the effectiveness of such techniques is also essential to choose the best practices and encouraging to implement of them.
The article to be discussed is written by Lucy Webb, “Exploring the characteristics of effective communicators in healthcare.” It focuses on The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) new standards for proficiencies for the registered nurse and nursing education. The paper discusses essential skills nurses should acquire to provide high-quality healthcare in the future, suggests ways to develop the skills, and summarizes the main characteristics of a modern nurse communicator.
The article starts with a description of communication skills. Lucy Webb states they include “basic verbal and non-verbal skills, written communication and IT competence” (2018, p. 2). The concept of interpersonal communication encompasses the ability to communicate effectively with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Verbal communication involves communicating effectively with other people through verbal means. Effective communication through writing implies written means, such as patient records, documentation, or correspondence. Next, the author gives a definition of an effective communicator. The overview of the main theories is presented, comparing and deducting skills such as active listening, empathy, focusing, and attentiveness. The paper is supported by other publications where therapeutic communication is introduced as “holistic and patient-centered” (GutiĂ©rrez-Puertas et al., 2020). It is highlighted that essential communication skills are an important part of any nurse’s job, as they allow nurses to interact with patients in a way that is both respectful and effective, contributing to a healing process.
As part of relationship management, the author discusses another critical aspect that must be taken into account. The humanistic approach is a philosophy that values the dignity and self-worth of each individual. It promotes compassion, integrity, respect, and altruism (McCaffrey, 2019). Nurses should treat patients as individuals and value each patient’s unique needs, goals and values. In the paper, Lucy Webb (2018) shows three core conditions of a humanistic approach based on previous studies, extrapolating them to motivational interviewing and other techniques, which are highlighted in many recent studies. The nurse-patient relationship phases model was discussed to elaborate on the idea, which is linked to the NMC Essential Skills Cluster. The model represents the relationship’s development as the treatment process proceeds. The phases usually include orientation, working, and resolution (Ortiz, 2018). Lucy Webb (2018) also divides the working phase into identification and exploitation. However, the author discusses only one theory of Peplau’s nurse-patient relationship without mentioning others, such as Travelbee’s interpersonal aspects of nursing or Orlando’s dynamic nurse-patient relationship.
Mentioned communication skills are further extrapolated to health promotion and self-care, discussing standards for nursing that expect from their support to the public and education in the sphere of public health. It is demonstrated through examples of various research in the UK, showing the importance of such improvement. Motivational interviewing is discussed as one of the techniques for health promotion. Recent studies prove that this method is one of the best to contribute to a healthy lifestyle for patients, not taking much time from nurses (Dobber et al., 2018). As the paper states, health promotion and self-care are relatively new areas of nursing. It involves helping people to stay healthy and fit by improving their lifestyle and adopting healthy habits. Self-care nursing covers a range of activities, including healthy eating, regular exercise, stress management, and relaxation techniques.
Another sphere of communication is IT competence. Close attention is paid to safety and effectiveness. These aspects are highlighted by other reviews as well, stating that “nursing documentation … is time-saving, reduces rates of documentation errors, falls and infections” (McCarthy et al., 2018, para. 5). Lucy Webb also emphasizes that IT competence is not only crucial for documentation, but it is a communication skill as well. It is not only about nurse-patient relationships but nurse-staff, nurse-doctor, and other interactions that can happen in health care. A nurse is a bridge in communication between different links in the healthcare sphere, which requires such skills as team working and conflict management.
The last section of the paper provides an overview of techniques to improve communication skills. Several studies are considered, and Webb draws important conclusions from them, for example, how healthcare practitioners prefer to develop communication skills in the practice setting rather than in formal training (2018, p. 6). The author also discusses the importance of a learner-centered approach which includes teamwork. Team teaching can be used to improve communication between nursing team members and promote engagement in patient care activities. It can also be used to promote teamwork among members of the team, which can lead to improved patient outcomes. Team teaching effectiveness is proven to be a successful educational experience (Hellier and Davidson, 2018). Another important aspect that the author states is self-reflection and gives an overview of techniques for its development.
Overall, the article discusses all the essential nursing communication aspects relevant to the UK setting. It is indisputable that nursing care extends beyond providing physical care for patients. In order to provide top-quality care, nurses must also have the necessary communication skills. Starting from the description of communication skills, the author elaborates on them in relationship management. Effective communication can prevent misunderstandings and provide a sense of comfort for those involved in a patient’s care. It proposes that the nurse’s personality, the style and methods of their work, and the ability to deal with patients play a critical role in a complex treatment process. The nurse should be an effective communicator, following a humanistic approach. In addition to basic communication skills, many nurses also need advanced communication skills to deal with the unique challenges that may arise in their field, such as communication with other healthcare practitioners, sometimes even through electronic devices. Further, these skills are extrapolated into health promotion, self-care, and IT competencies. In the end, the techniques for improving communication skills are presented. It is stated that learner-centered teamwork could be the most effective way to provide nurses with high-quality training.
Reference List
Dobber, J., Latour, C., Snaterse, M., van Meijel, B., ter Riet, G., Scholte op Reimer, W. and Peters, R. (2018). Developing nurses’ skills in motivational interviewing to promote a healthy lifestyle in patients with coronary artery disease. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 18(1), pp. 28–37.
Gutiérrez-Puertas, L., Márquez-Hernández, V.V., Gutiérrez-Puertas, V., Granados-Gámez, G. and Aguilera-Manrique, G. (2020). Educational Interventions for Nursing Students to Develop Communication Skills with Patients: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), pp. 22-41.
Hellier, S. and Davidson, L. (2018). Team Teaching in Nursing Education. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 49(4), pp. 186–192.
McCaffrey, G. (2019). A humanism for nursing? Nursing Inquiry, 26(2), pp.1-7.
McCarthy, B., Fitzgerald, S., O’Shea, M., Condon, C., Hartnett-Collins, G., Clancy, M., Sheehy, A., Denieffe, S., Bergin, M. and Savage, E. (2018). Electronic nursing documentation interventions to promote or improve patient safety and quality care: A systematic review. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(3), pp. 491–501.
Ortiz, M.R. (2018). Patient-Centered Care: Nursing Knowledge and Policy. Nursing Science Quarterly, [online] 31(3), pp. 291–295.
Webb, L. (2018). Exploring the characteristics of effective communicators in healthcare. Nursing Standard, 33(9), pp. 47–51.