Communication between a nurse and patient is an important part of healthcare. Not only is this the time the nurse provides education to the patient, but it is also the period when the patient shares crucial information that could be beneficial for his or her health and treatment. This paper will review why good communication is essential in healthcare, what therapeutic communication is, what are the key components of therapeutic communication, and some factors that may facilitate and/or block communication.
Why Good Communication is Essential in Healthcare
Good communication is essential in healthcare because it allows the nurse to establish rapport with the patient, thus building the nurse-patient relationship. Deborah Antai-Otong tells in the book Nurse-Client Communication: A Life Span Approach (2007) that rapport …show more content…
One factor that can be difficult in therapeutic communication is dealing with challenging patients. Brownie, Scott, and Rossiter (2016, August 5) share that it is often the case that nurses receive in report from other nurses or healthcare providers that certain patients are difficult or challenging when the nurse has never experienced anything to support that. The challenge is not with the patient himself or herself; the challenge is with how the other providers have been approaching the situation and what the nurse-patient relationship is like (2016, August 5). It is important to use therapeutic communication and try to understand what the patient may feeling as well as your own biases. Brownie, Scott, and Rossiter (2016, August 5) explain that responding to difficult patients with compassion and empathy requires that the nurse be self-aware and understand his or her own biases and opinions. Emotionally distancing oneself from a patient can have a negative impact on the healthcare for the
Why Good Communication is Essential in Healthcare
Good communication is essential in healthcare because it allows the nurse to establish rapport with the patient, thus building the nurse-patient relationship. Deborah Antai-Otong tells in the book Nurse-Client Communication: A Life Span Approach (2007) that rapport …show more content…
One factor that can be difficult in therapeutic communication is dealing with challenging patients. Brownie, Scott, and Rossiter (2016, August 5) share that it is often the case that nurses receive in report from other nurses or healthcare providers that certain patients are difficult or challenging when the nurse has never experienced anything to support that. The challenge is not with the patient himself or herself; the challenge is with how the other providers have been approaching the situation and what the nurse-patient relationship is like (2016, August 5). It is important to use therapeutic communication and try to understand what the patient may feeling as well as your own biases. Brownie, Scott, and Rossiter (2016, August 5) explain that responding to difficult patients with compassion and empathy requires that the nurse be self-aware and understand his or her own biases and opinions. Emotionally distancing oneself from a patient can have a negative impact on the healthcare for the