It has been acknowledged that communication with patients is one of the most important aspects of nursing practice. There are effective strategies that can make this kind of communication effective. The use of the patient-centered approach is crucial as patients have different backgrounds, peculiarities, needs, fears, etc. Mulder, Lokhorst, Rutten, and Van Woerkum (2014) note that the effectiveness of patient-centered communication can be enhanced with the help of such measures as goal setting, action planning, and so on. Indeed, the use of personal experience can be an effective strategy to encourage patients to shape their behaviors. Sharing experiences and some strategies to cope with certain health conditions can have numerous positive effects on patients’ health. At that, it is also vital to make sure that the communication is a two-way process. Patients’ voices should be heard, and patients should be encouraged to share their views, concerns, hopes, and so on (Boykins, 2014). This approach is instrumental in revealing patients’ needs and various reasons for their behaviors.
Furthermore, it is also important to remember the cultural component. Nursing professionals should be aware of patients’ major health-related beliefs and traditions to show respect and develop the necessary rapport (Arnold & Boggs, 2015). Patients’ health beliefs should also be the background for patient-nurse communication as nurses can find arguments to convince their patients. Finally, nursing practitioners should also be respectful and let patients make decisions, but nurses should provide all the relevant facts and examples. Nurses should provide frameworks and treatments that could be consistent with patients’ beliefs.
References
Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2015). Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for nurses (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Boykins, A. D. (2014). Core communication competencies in patient-centered care. ABNF Journal, 25(2), 40-45.
Mulder, B., Lokhorst, A., Rutten, G., & Van Woerkum, C. (2014). Effective nurse communication with type 2 diabetes patients. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 37(8), 1100-1131.