Running head: COMMUNICATION 1

Concept Analysis on Communication

Felecia Turner

Nursing 201

Dr. R. Otten

Dr. Tori Canillas-Dufau

November 3, 2009

Introduction

Mary had a seizure on May 7th. She was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor by physicians at a prominent Boston hospital considered to be one of the finest healthcare institutions in the country. My mother received excellent medical and physical nursing care in the hospital. , But but she and my family received little empathy and compassion and very few, if any, answers to ours questions from the nursing staff. I kept denying the brusque approach of her nurses until one young nurse yelled at my mother like a child when she tried to get to get out of bed to go to the bathroom (Boivin, 2009). Is communication a vital vehicle in establishing trust in a nurse-patient relationship? Can humanizing communication affect patient outcomes? Is communication the guiding factor in establishing a relationship with patients as well as peers and colleagues? The answer to all these questions is “YES!” Webster’s Student Dictionary (2002) states Communication communication is defined as an exchange of ideas, conveyance of information, etc., by Webster’s Student Dictionary (2002) and Oxford Dictionary (2007) defines it as a means of sending or receiving information. Nurses, we may not realize how powerful our communication efforts or lack thereof affects our patients outcome. Not just communication with patients but also communication with our peers and colleagues can be effective or ineffective for the outcome of the patient. Communication is a vital part of healthcare. It is imperative for nurses to communicate with patients to establish a trusting relationship. This relationship will

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foster a reciprocal relationship between nurses and patients. The patient will likewould prefer an active participant in his care. One method used in establishing this type of relationship is through what is called humanizing communication. Though communication may sound like an easy concept, on the contrary, it bares its burden. Communication is a challenge in healthcare because many variables exist. Some variables that affect communication in a healthcare setting are: cultural differences amongst peers, and colleagues as well as patients, language barriers (verbal and non-verbal), and technological and mechanical devices that may alter the patient’s ability to communicate normally. Lastly, complications of diseases, i.e. CVA, which can cause expressive aphasia, all affect communication. All these variables can have a profound affect on a patient’s ability to communicate with the healthcare team. Campesino (2008) states, socially constructed differences that exist between the nurse and the client on the basis of cultural, racial, or ethnic identities are supportedly bridged by an increase in nursing knowledge about other cultures. If nurses are going to care for the patient wholly, then one must be willing to learn about other cultures and apply that knowledge to provide respectful and competent cultural care (2008). Nurses face great challenges in communication in their working environment, not only from a patient perspective but also from a peer and colleague viewpoint. The healthcare team consists of a team of interdisciplinarians ranging from doctors to nurses in other positions to social workers and chaplains just to name a few. While this team has a mix of multi-leveled backgrounds and education, it also has a blend

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of cultural differences. Nurses communicate nursing information to others on the clinical team to ensure a coordinated approach to health care.