NUR1102 Essay: Evaluating Communication Skills in Healthcare Setting

This essay examines the critical role of interpersonal communication in healthcare, emphasizing its impact on patient outcomes. The author analyzes a case study involving an elderly patient, Mr. William Taylor, to evaluate instances of ineffective communication between nurses, patients, and family members. The essay explores the importance of therapeutic communication skills such as active listening, silence, counseling, and offering self, and strategies to achieve effective communication within the nursing context. It also highlights the significance of health literacy and the author's personal development in understanding and applying communication techniques. The essay concludes by summarizing the key concepts and reinforcing the importance of effective communication to enhance the quality of care in healthcare settings.

Running head: LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
Introduction:
Effective communication in the nursing is considered as the most efficient tool to
enhance the health outcome of the patient. Interpersonal communication skill in nursing is very
essential to provide quality care to the patient (Jamshidi et al., 2016). The aim of the essay is to
evaluate the interpersonal communication skill that can be used to avoid the miscommunication
observed in the case study of the patient named as Mr William Taylor. The essay includes the
case of an elderly man who had a fall and is admitted to the hospital. The ineffective
communication between the patient and the nurse has been discussed in the essay. In addition to
that, the concept of care associated to the patient care is also discussed in the essay and along
with that several strategies, approaches and the skill such as effective listening, silence,
counseling and offering self that can be used to achieve the effective therapeutic and professional
communication between the nurse, the patient and the family member of the patient is also
integrated. While treating the patient, my health literacy skills are also enhanced such as; I have
gathered knowledge regarding the different communication skill that can be used to enhance the
patient which is also discussed.
Body:
Communication in the healthcare setting is one of the most effective tools that can lead to
enhanced patient satisfaction and care and results to increased health outcomes (Foronda,
MacWilliams & McArthur, 2016) Therefore ineffective communication is frequently observed in
the healthcare setting, which leads to illness or worsen the present health condition of the patient.
Here, in this case study, a geriatric patient has been admitted to the hospital (Rehim et al., 2017).
I was assigned to take care of the patient along with a registered nurse in the aged care facility.

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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
The patient had experienced a fall on his way to bed. Due to the unbearable pain the patient has
been crying softly and is experiencing pain each time he is trying to move or stand. As I
approached the patient, he become afraid and started pushing me away as he does not want me to
touch him. He wants the registered nurse to take care of him. At that moment of time wife of the
patient had arrived to the hospital and realizes that her husband has been crying. She looked at
me and started shouting at me.
By observing the case study of Mr William Taylor, it can be sated that there is ineffective
communication between the patient and the nurse as well as among the family of the patient and
the nurse. Due to the ineffective communication between the patient and the nurse, the nurse was
unable to calm the patient in the absence of the registered nurse (Alert, 2017). It leads to delayed
treatment for the patient which might result to further deterioration of the health. Another
ineffective communication is observed between the wife of the patient and the nurse (Zhu &
Chan, 2017). Due to the ineffective communication between the nurse and patient’s wife, she
started shouting without even asking the actual matter.
In the healthcare setting taking care of the patient, is the primary objective. Each and
every individual is provided with quality care in order to speed the recovery of the patient. In this
case, the patient is 79 year old man and hence requires an additional care, as illness at this phase
might give rise to negative health impact. Therapeutic communication skill can also be used to
provide quality care to the patient. Therapeutic communication skill is used to analyses the needs
and preferences of the patient. Therapeutic communication skill is demarcated as the face to face
process of the interaction that is used in the healthcare setting to improve the physical and mental
wellbeing of the patient (Riley, 2015). Therapeutic communication skill is most effective
technique in order to provide support the patient which is required in this case (Choi, Song &

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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
Oh, 2015). Before starting the treatment of the patient it is important for the nurse to engage in
therapeutic relationship with the patient, which can be achieved by the help of the effective
communication skill. After engaging in a therapeutic relationship with the patient, the nurse is
able to gather information that is required to formulate an appropriate care plan (Feo et al.,
2017). The patient is 79 years old and hence has a higher risk of pressure fall, in such case a 24
hour nurse is required to take the appropriate care of the patient. This will reduce the risk of
pressure fall in the patient.
In order to provide quality care to the patient, effective therapeutic communication is
required. Different type of communication skill such as, active listening, reflecting, counseling
and approaches can be used to maintain therapeutic relationship with the patient and the stake
holders (Hargie, 2016).
In order to achieve the therapeutic relation with the patient, both the non-verbal and the
verbal communication skill can be used. The nurse should use proper verbal communication with
the patient in order to gain knowledge regarding the pain and sorrow of the patient (Siouta et al.,
2016). However, the privacy and autonomy of the patient is taken into consideration and should
be respected by the nurse. Hence, the nurse should not ask question that will violate the privacy
and autonomy of the patient (Cato, Bockting & Larson, 2016).
The patient is allowed some time to get comfortable with the nurse so that the patient of
able to share information with the nurse without being uncomfortable. The nurse should
encourage the patient to share their pains, worries, discomfort and fear (Hargie, 2016). In the
above discussed case the nurse should use therapeutic communication technique that will aim to
provide support the patient.

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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
In the case of Mr William Taylor, the nurse should maintain therapeutic relationship with
the patient as well as with the family of the patient. The patient is in acute pain and hence the
nurse should use different skills and approaches that can help the patient to calm down. The
nurse should also use different types of nonverbal communication skill to calm the patient
(Hargie, 2016). If the nurse would have used the appropriate communication skill, the patient
could have gain trust over the nurse which will help in providing better treatment to the patient.
In this case the miscommunication among the nurse and the patient’s wife has also been
observed. To avoid such miscommunication in the future, the nurse should use communication
skill for the family member. After seeing her husband crying, her wife started shouting, hence it
is the responsibility of the nurse to acknowledge the patient’s wife about the complication, the
nurse is going through. The nurse should calm down the patient’s wife by saying that the patient
is alright and she need not to worry. Apart from these, the nurse should also call the registered
nurse, who is taking care of the patient in order to avoid the delay in the treatment of the patient.
The nurse should use different therapeutic communication tool to gain the trust of the patient
which includes, silence and active listening (Choi, Song & Oh, 2015). Apart from that, the other
tool that can be used to maintain an effective therapeutic relationship with the patient is offering
self, which is observed in the scenario. However, the nurse is offering self without gaining the
trust of the patient which led to miscommunication.
Hence from the above discussion it is stated that in order to provide better care to the
patient it is important for the nurse to gain the trust of the patient, which can only be achieved by
the help of the effective therapeutic communication tool.

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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
Health literacy skill is defined as the skill that is used to process and then understand the
basic health needs of the patient (Batterham et al., 2016). By observing the patient and after
taking care of the patient, I gathered knowledge regarding the different communication skill that
is used to maintain an effective therapeutics relationship with the patient. Hence, from the
incident my health literacy skill and confidence is increased. I felt more confident about my
capacity which is required to obtain and process the basic healthcare needs of the patient by the
help of improved communication skill. Hence with the help of these skills, I would be able to
provide quality care to the patient in the future.
Conclusion:
From the above essay it is concluded that the interpersonal communication of one of the
most competent tool that is used in the healthcare setting to enhance the health outcome of the
patient. There are different types of the interpersonal communication skill such as, effective
listening, silence, counseling and offering self is discussed in the essay. These therapeutic tools
are used to maintain therapeutic relationship with the patient and the family of the patient. Apart
from that, the concept of care of the patient is also explained and the strategies also which used
to achieve the therapeutic communication between the patient, family and the nurse. The
discussion also includes reflection of my enhanced health literacy as; I have gathered knowledge
regarding the different communication skill that can be used to enhance the patient which is also
discussed.

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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
Reference:
Alert, S. E. (2017). Inadequate hand-off communication. The Joint Commission, 58, 1-6.
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Feo, R., Rasmussen, P., Wiechula, R., Conroy, T., & Kitson, A. (2017). Developing effective
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LITERACIES AND COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH CARE
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