Interpersonal Communication Skills in Nursing: An Essay Analysis

This essay examines the critical role of communication skills within the field of nursing, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal communication for effective patient care. The essay defines and analyzes three key communication skills: listening, feedback, and questioning, highlighting their significance in building trust, understanding patient needs, and preventing medical errors. It explores how these skills contribute to improved patient outcomes, satisfaction, and overall healthcare quality. The essay also discusses the potential consequences of poor communication, such as misunderstandings and malpractice, and stresses the need for healthcare professionals to continuously develop and refine their communication abilities. The essay utilizes academic sources to support the arguments and provides practical examples of how these skills are applied in nursing practice. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for nurses to adapt their communication styles to suit different patient backgrounds and preferences. The essay concludes by reiterating the essential nature of effective communication for nursing professionals in today's healthcare environment.

“Communication skills are essential
to Excel in any discipline or field”
Nursing Science
5/2/2019
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Word Count: 1198 Words
Reference Style: Harvard
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Introduction
In our ancient times, during the era of development, the only common thing between the
people was their communication skill whether it was visual or vocal but communication has
a major role in the cognitive development The kind of communication verbal or non verbal
happening face to face between two or more people are specifically called Interpersonal
Communication (Hodson, 2013). Communication, in general, requires a balanced resonance
between various elements of Listening, Feedback, and critical questioning which leads to the
establishment of communication of healthy nature. In this Listening stands for the
deliberative act of a person seeking to receive and interpret the information in the
communication process. In the absence of effective listening, misunderstandings will prevail
that leads to misinterpretation and undermining the basic motive behind Interpersonal
communication. Along with this, another requirement for effective Interpersonal
communication is the availability of Feedback that is a responsive or circular process
involving the action of the listener. This creates confidence among communicator that
listener is not just a passive absorber of messages rather taking active participation in the
process of Interpersonal communication. In last, the other most vital part of an efficient
communication system is the presence of critical Questioning by listeners that indicates the
curiosity of exploring an issue. It also interprets the process that serves to create answers and
insights (Gopee, 2012).
In the Context of Nursing Science, a nursing practitioner is the centre of patient's care and it's
their responsibility to communicate with patients(Lundgren, 2018). As we know that a nursing
practitioner has to interact with a diversified domain of people with different backgrounds
which requires the presence of Interpersonal communication system whether verbal or non-
verbal in absence of which they will not be able to understand patient's needs. A nursing
practitioner needs a strengthened version of communication skills that makes them able to
interact with a patient with different social and cultural backgrounds. Absence of
communication can be a feasible reason behind the occurrence of malpractice. CRICO
Strategies, a patient safety organization, in its five years of inspection, revealed poor
communication as the main reason behind 1744 deaths and malpractice cases. Another study
by THE JOINT COMMISSION, also alleges miscommunication as the major cause behind
the serious errors occurred during patient transfers. Healthy Interpersonal communication is
the mutual requirement in this profession of nursing science between both health
professionals as well as patients.
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THE FUTURE OF NURSING: Leading changes, Advancing health report recommended
healthcare redesign for nurses as nurses are advising healthcare policy designers for
information dissemination and leaders for solving major healthcare problems. To overcome
these issues it was advisable to establish a healthy communication system. A nursing
professional also needs to use the mode of communication which was preferred by the
patients, that implies they need to adopt flexibility in their communication skills as suggested
by HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EDUCATION: A Bridge to Quality. As given in the
introduction above that a healthy communication involves some basic elements of Listening,
Feedback and Questioning, it also plays a vital role for bridging the communication gap
between patient and health professional (Kavlak and Tekin, 2019). While caring for a patient,
nurses act as an advisor for their wellbeing, that means it is the duty of both, the nurse as well
as patient to Listen to each other deliberately. Multitasking must be prevented while listening
as it leads to errors. Also, mindfulness of nurses is expected while listening to patients, the
absence of which requires to stop and refocus on the issue otherwise it also can lead to error
and omissions. Nurses are required to understand the progress in the improvement of patients
health which requires feedback by the patient (Ko, 2013). In this phase, it is advisable for
nurses to avoid making speculations on their own rather than acting on the feedback provided
by the patient. As per TravelNursin.com asking patients to repeat instructions can lead to
misunderstanding and gaps in information. If somehow it is found that the patient's
acquaintance are not aware or they are aggrieved by the practice of nurse then the role of
Critical Questioning comes into play. Asking the nursing professional for any kind of
apprehensions is also the most vital stage of Interpersonal communication that can avoid any
kind of malpractice on the nurse's side (Taylor, 2010). Sometimes writing is also essential to
avoid any malpractice as nursing professionals require to interact with the patient with
distinct behaviour and problems so writing essentially helps nursing professionals to
distinguish between patients that lead to subtle care practice. Being able to communicate
easily can save a lot of time for nurses that a get utilized for other beings. As we all are aware
that the time spent by patients and their acquaintances are stressful for them, so the presence
of good communication system can make them feel relieved regarding proper care and
recovery of their loved ones (Koski and Launonen, 2012). For this feedback and questioning
has a major role in communication as it will give satisfaction regarding the services served by
nursing professionals (Barker, 2016). This is even more important in healthcare facilities
where lives are at stake. Managing a smooth communication channel becomes inevitably
essential. Any kind of secrecy can lead to apprehensions among them that can only be cured
by a transparent and critical questioning mechanism for which nurses must get adequate
training as questioning in such a hectic service can be frustrating for nurses being a human
being. It must be a part of nurse responsibility to update periodically to avoid anxiety and
make them feel satisfied and comfortable and at ease. It is important for a healthcare
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professional to communicate with every patient on an individual basis. Lack of
communication can cause negligent healthcare service that can create anxiety and
misunderstanding that must be avoided by nursing professionals (Wilkins, Bernstein and Bekki,
2015)
Conclusion:
A nursing professional good at Interpersonal communication which helps in extracting more
information about the patient. Communicating does not only mean the use of gentle words
with polite nature, but it also involves a large share of body language, hand gestures, eye
movement along with behavioural changes on an individual basis. The satisfaction of the
hierarchy of needs requires effective Interpersonal communication to make patient satisfy
about his speedy recovery. It is not expected by everyone to be a good communicator and it
can also never be expected for every patient to behave in cooperation. That's why there is a
need for communication training while pursuing such courses as it can help nurses to perform
very good in their profession as they need to act as a hub of information while serving.
Healthcare professionals need to interact with every section of society so Interpersonal
communication skill is inevitable in this profession. Imperative optimal caregiving and
avoiding malpractice is more essential in present day scenario as a nursing role continues to
expand. So it is important for individuals to work on their Interpersonal communication skills
if they are planning to pursue nursing as their profession. And if someone practising his
communication skills, always keep it in conscience that just a subtle variation in the way
they communicate with someone can make a huge lot of changes.
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Bibliography:
Barker, A. (2016). Improve your communication skills. London, United Kingdom: Kogan Page.
Gopee, N. (2012). Communication & interpersonal skills in nursing Shirley Bach Communication &
interpersonal skills in nursing and AlecGrant Learning Matters
£18168pp97808572544980857254499. Nursing Management, 19(2), pp.9-9.
Hodson, M. (2013). Compassion, Caring and Communication: Skills for Nursing Practice Compassion,
Caring and Communication: Skills for Nursing Practice. Nursing Management, 20(6), pp.11-11.
Kavlak, E. and Tekin, F. (2019). Examining various factors affecting communication skills in children
with cerebral palsy. NeuroRehabilitation, 44(2), pp.161-173.
Ko, S. (2013). Understanding the dynamics of classroom communication. Newcastle: Cambridge
Scholars.
Koski, K. and Launonen, K. (2012). Assessing the communication skills of carers working with
multiple learning disabilities: a case study. International Journal of Language & Communication
Disorders, 47(6), pp.685-695.
Lundgren, L. (2018). Enhancing communication skills with additional language acquisition. Nursing,
48(11), pp.43-45.
Taylor, S. (2010). Communication, communication, communication. Nursing and Residential Care,
12(3), pp.140-142.
These Are the Communication Skills Employers Look for in Employees. [online] Available at:
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/communication-skills-list-2063779 [Accessed 2 May 2019].
Wilkins, K., Bernstein, B. and Bekki, J. (2015). Measuring Communication Skills: The STEM
Interpersonal Communication Skills Assessment Battery. Journal of Engineering Education, 104(4),
pp.433-453.
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