Communication Strategies for Kirra Hawkins: Nursing Case Study

This case study assignment delves into effective communication strategies within a nursing context, focusing on the case of Kirra Hawkins, a 20-year-old female experiencing mood and weight concerns. The assignment explores how to establish rapport, employing both verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, and addresses potential communication barriers such as language and cultural differences. It examines ethical considerations like informed consent and the importance of avoiding harm, while also identifying relevant health professionals like dietitians, endocrinologists, and psych-oncologists for interprofessional communication. Furthermore, the assignment analyzes the challenges that may arise in interprofessional communication, emphasizing the need for clear, concise, and ethical communication to help Kirra return to a normal state of well-being, considering her specific circumstances and stressors.

Running head: COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 1
Communication in Nursing Assignment Paper
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 2
Introduction
Communicating effectively in any setting is usually very crucial. Accordingly, counseling
someone or giving advice to any person requires excellent communication skills to help the
respective individual. In that case, I will ensure I employ all the communication strategies which
can help me change the life of Kirra back to normal (Williams, 2015).
There are always several ways through which one can create a rapport with the client. In
that case, the way on how I would create the rapport with Kirra is as highlighted below. To start
with, I will try to make the conversation friendly with Kirra by asking about her friends, family,
hobbies along with other essential things in her life (Maguire & Pitceathly, 2015). I will also
maintain eye contact since it’s usually a useful technique that shows care and compassion. In that
case, I should also be confident so that I show Kirra Hawkins that all is well and hence by that,
she will feel free with and open up on anything that she might not have been willing. Last but not
least, I will display empathy as Kirra is disappointed with her father’s recent habit of drinking
heavily (Floreddu & Cabiddu, 2016).
Some of the communication strategies that I would employ to facilitate effective
communication are as highlighted below. To start with, I will apply both verbal and non-verbal
communication strategies. The initial verbal strategy that I will use is to focus on the issue not
Kirra at a personal level. This will help me to build counselor-client relation more secure and
hence establishes faith between us. Accordingly, because Kirra is losing weight due to lack of
eating, I will not commence by complaining about her habit of avoiding meals (Petersen,
Kushwaha & Kumar, 2015). I explain the essence of taking a balanced diet to her together with
risks which are associated with skipping meals.

COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 3
The second strategy I will use is the affirmative responses which will help me in giving
friendly advice along with counseling. I will, therefore, to be required to respond to Kirra in the
ways which acknowledge her situation. Accordingly, I will have to show positive feelings even if
she does not agree and ask questions which will enable me to connect with Kirra.
Empathy is another strategy that I will employ, which can be described as pretending to
be in another person's situation. Accordingly, it is an acknowledgment of someone's emotions
without being in that particular state. There is always good outcomes with empathy, especially
when unleashing counseling to such as a patient. As an illustration, research states that patients
usually experience better feelings when handled with empathy. In this case, empathy will also
help to have better compliance with Kirra (Harold, Aw & Williams, 2018).
Considering Kirra situation, she even wants to drop her degree of Fine Arts and very
reluctant to speak to counselors. If she realizes that whoever is counseling her has empathy, she
might easily adjust to what is necessary, like taking meals to avoid mood and weight loss.
Factors such as language, stereotypes, signs, behavior, and beliefs can adversely affect
communication and usually considered as communication barriers. For instance, different
cultures have different languages as their heritage. Therefore communication or counseling a
client who doesn't understand your language is a change. Accordingly, if Kirra is from a different
culture, then using nonverbal communication cannot work effectively. This is because signs,
gestures, and symbols vary in different cultures. The cultural differences also vary the
personality differences such as the body language and norms, which might later lead to
miscommunication.

COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 4
To start with, silence can be a threatening tool that disregards another person's need for
communication. As an illustration, it is a barrier that means lack of expression which sends
information to the client which can create a barrier for communication between Kirra and I.
Silence can be destructive, and this can shut down the conversation together with creating berries
that discourage speakers from expressing their thoughts. Conversely, the information may be
misinterpreted by the receiver, and hence, one should be careful with the signs used while
communicating. Maintenance of eye contact is an excellent thing to do here to show seriousness
in the message. For instance, if I look at Kirra with some kind of silence, she might think on her
side, things are worse or beyond reverse (Miller, 2019).
Body movement is the second strategy which can complement the verbal message by
insisting on the main ideas which turn affects the ability of the client to understand. In this case, I
might be saying an important thing, but because of my body movement, then the message might
be lost or misinterpreted if my movement suggests a different opinion in mind. On the other
hand, body posture where I deliver a message then I seem to be in a hurry then it might imply a
different impression to Kirra (Butchibabu, Sparano-Huiban, Sonenberg & Shah, 2016). I should
also not cross arms or flick eyes when talking to Kirra since it affects communication too. Facial
expression is another form of body movement. As far as this is concerned, I have to control my
facial expression while talking to Kirra to ensure the accuracy of the message.
Some of the ethical considerations in the case of Kirra Hawkins are as highlighted below.
The first one is informed consent. This usually means the client participating in the evaluation is
informed about the evaluation. In this case, Kirra consented to referral though remained hesitant
about seeking treatments (Levinson, Lesser & Epstein, 2016). The second ethical consideration,
in this case, does not harm. Harm, in this case, might be stress, pain, or diminishing self-esteem.

COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 5
As an illustration, it will be rational if Kirra does not become more stressed or depressed after
counseling her. Kirra has no many close friends, and therefore, sometimes she is reported to feel
lonely.
The third ethical consideration is only to assess the relevant components, such as why she is not
willing to eat. The other component is how Kirra should cope up with the recent drinking habit
of his father. Under those circumstances, when counseling Kirra, the evaluation should be as
simple as possible (Seyranian, Sinatra & Polikoff, 2015).
The three health professionals that I might consider to communicate with are the
Dietitian, endocrinologist, and psych-oncologist. As an illustration, the psych-oncologist is the
doctor that helps patients along with families with mood, anxiety, feelings of loss, confusion, and
grief. The dietitian is usually an expert in the field of nutrition and food and usually has a degree
in. His main specialization is weight management and exercise science. Lastly, the
endocrinologist is the specialist in diagnosing and treating the hormones diseases (Fallowfield &
Jenkins, 2016).
Considering Kirra case, she has a problem with weight despite her BMI being normal. In that
case, the dietitian will be of great importance, in that case, to explain how the issue of Kirra can
be solved or how she can be advised accordingly. Furthermore, Kirra always skips meals, which
are reported to be affecting her. The dietitian can, therefore, help to solve this situation.
Secondly, Kirra has a problem with moods. The psych-oncologist can be of great assistance since
he deals with moods, feelings of loss, and anxiety. The drinking habit of Kirra's father is reported
to have affected her adversely, and hence, this specialist can offer some useful suggestions on
what should be done (Friend & Cook, 2015). Lastly, changing moods usually emanates from

COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 6
hormones and endocrinologist, in this case, can also help to how or what Kirra should balance
hormones so that she maintains her moods.
Some of the ethical considerations that are present when communicating with other
health professionals are confidentiality, informed consent, and respect for privacy. As an
illustration, Kirra should be aware of the types of people whom her information may be
subsequently be disclosed. Accordingly, there has to be confidentiality among the health
professionals to avoid sharing information to the third party (Sandner, 2016).
The big challenge that can arise from this interprofessional communication is agreement. Each
specialist might have his or her views as far as this situation is concerned and therefore,
concluding might be hard. Accordingly, the rank dynamics between professions might also be a
challenge (Janssen, Ruiter & Waters, 2018).
In summary, Kirra's situation is not that complicated or routine. Therefore, I will make
sure after counseling her, she returns to normal and does what is expected of her. I will have to
consider every kind of challenge she is undergoing at the moment.

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References
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Fallowfield, L., & Jenkins, V. (2016). Effective communication skills are the key to good cancer
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Floreddu, P. B., & Cabiddu, F. (2016). Social media communication strategies. Journal of
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Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2015). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals.
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Maguire, P., & Pitceathly, C., (2015). Key communication skills and how to acquire them. BMJ,
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Miller, C., (2019). Interviewing, Strategies, Rapport, and Empathy. In Diagnostic
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COMMUNICATION IN NURSING ASSIGNMENT PAPER 8
Petersen, J. A., Kushwaha, T., & Kumar, V. (2015). Marketing communication strategies and
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