Analysis of Active Listening, Empathy, and Therapeutic Touch

This report analyzes nursing communication, specifically focusing on active listening, empathy, and therapeutic touch within a healthcare context. It utilizes a fictional interview between a medical student and a patient to illustrate these concepts, addressing key issues and providing practical examples. The report explores the importance of active listening in building trust and avoiding errors, the role of empathy in increasing patient satisfaction, and the significance of therapeutic touch in promoting healing. It identifies instances of poor communication skills, such as lack of eye contact and insufficient compassion, and suggests improvements. The conclusion emphasizes the need for training healthcare practitioners in effective communication techniques to enhance patient care and outcomes, including the use of therapeutic touch to stimulate the body's natural healing processes. The report references several studies to support its findings and recommendations.

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Nursing communication
Theory of Active listening by Katelyn Kuppary
Introduction
This assignment is about nursing communication and involves a fictional experimental interview
between a medical student and a patient. The character, the video and the content is fictional and
only meant to be used as an example. The interview is meant to address three issues that include
active listening; empathy; and therapeutic touch(Bayes, Smith & Maude, 2018). Active listening
is important in nursing as it helps to build trust and rapport between the patient and the
healthcare provider (Tobiano, Marshall, Bucknall & Chaboyer, 2016). Active listening helps the
healthcare practitioners to avoid causing medical errors(Bayes, Smith & Maude, 2018). Empathy
in clinical situation helps in increasing patients’ satisfaction and outcome. In order for sympathy
to be more effective it should be combined with good bedside manner(Loureiro, Quaresma&
Santos, 2018). Multiple studies have proven that physicians empathy have effects of increasing
patients satisfaction(Stanley, 2016). Therapeutic touch on the other hand will help patients’ body
to stimulate its own natural healing as opposed to treatment of specific physical diseases.
Listening Skill
This theory helps to keep important information given to memory. International journal of
listening defines active listening as an attempt that demonstrates unbiased reflection and
unconditional acceptance of a client experience by a therapist(Slade, Murray, Pun & Eggins,
2019). It seeks to ensure that interest is demonstrated during a conversation, the information is
remembered more effectively, and no conflict is created during the conversation(Stanley, 2016).
Active listening theory affects interpersonal communication.
One poor example of poor listening skill in the video is poor eye contactfound in 1:40-43
minutes. The interviewer asked “So tell me, ah! About your condition what happened”?
The patient 1:49-“…so basically three months ago I had an accident which caused uh… (Not
heard) to rapture……..and went through a lot of test and things like that and my surgeon decided
that surgery was the best option… (Not heard) and it quite painful and today is one of those days
… not heard”

The interviewer, (looking at her leg as he holds a pen) “And is it swollen? And goes back to pen
again!
The patients “it is quite swollen right now and it is hard for me to step on it for a while…”
(2:40).
The interviewer “And have you tried taking any medications”?
The patient, “No I haven’t.”
The interviewer “any painkiller” (2:43)
The conversation continues like that without maintaining eye contact. This was poor because the
interview should have paid attention to what the patient was saying instead of focusing on noting
down the points. The interviewer needs to have listened actively(Bayes, Smith & Maude, 2018).
Active listening involves focusing completely on what is being said and not trying to note down
while losing the eye contact(Bodie, Vickery, Cannava & Jones, 2015). He doesn’t look at the
patient directly but instead seems like he is anxious and immediately after he asked the question
he loses eye contact completely. He starts to note down the patients information(Stanley, 2016).
The patient displays displeasure and seems bored to an extent of looking sleepy as they talk.
The interviewer ought to make sure he listens and understands by looking at the patient and what
the message is all about and what is not said in a day light(Stanley, 2016). The literature suggests
that instead of trying to think about how the interviewer will ask or answer the question when
someone is talking he should listen to what they are saying(Stanley, 2016). Eye contact tells the
speaker that you are paying attention in what they are saying.
Compassion
In clinical definition, empathy refers to the ability to understanding the patients’ feelings,
perspective, and situation through emotional resonance(Sinclair et al., 2017). One poor example
of low compassion in the video is ‘not sharing the feelings and pain the patient is undergoing
(Digby, Williams & Lee, 2016). For instance the conversation went like;
The interviewer “So tell me, ah! About your condition what happened”?

The patient 1:49-“…so basically three months ago I had an accident which caused uh… (Not
heard) to rapture……..and went through a lot of test and things like that and my surgeon decided
that surgery was the best option… (Not heard) and it quite painful and today is one of those days
… not heard”
The interviewer, (looking at her leg as he holds a pen) “…And is it swollen? And goes back to
pen again!
The patients “it is quite swollen right now and it is hard for me to step on it for a while…”
(2:40).
The interviewer “And have you tried taking any medications”?
The patient, “No I haven’t.”
The interviewer “any painkiller” (2:43)
From the way the interviewer asks the question and when he gets the response from the patient
he shows no compassion (Hofmeyer et al., 2018). He doesn’t put himself in the patients’ shoes.
Instead of asking plainly like he did, he should have instead started the conversation like, “I
understand the pain you are going through, I would love to know what happened so as to
increase our knowledge on how we can administer the best treatment for you” This way the
patient can feel that someone is feeling for her and this will result to patient satisfaction(Slade,
Murray, Pun&Eggins, 2019).
Studies show that compassion and empathy contribute sixty-five per cent of patients’
satisfaction. When the patient also talks about being involved in an accident the interview
displays very low empathyto her and continues taking down the note (Digby, Williams & Lee,
2016). The interviewer could have done it better by nodding, say sorry, assure her it is going to
be well or even lean forward looking straight into her eyes to share the feelings (Hofmeyer et al.,
2018).Instead he seems to jump to the next question “is it swollen” which is not the best way to
connect with the patient. When the patient says “it is quite swollen” he doesn’t show
care(Koegel, Ashbaugh, Navab & Koegel, 2016). He could show compassion and empathy. He
should have shown understanding of that situation and consoled the patients.

Therapeutic touch
Questioning should tell the patient that what is being asked is going to help them improve their
health condition. It should begin connecting with the patient and buying their trust. Questioning
should be able to make the patient feel that they are being cared about(Slade, Murray, Pun &
Eggins, 2019). The more you seem to want to know the patients’ history, the more you convince
them you care.
One poor therapeutic touch identified in the video is interviewer not placing their hand on
patients’ body with an intention to make them recover (Bayes, Smith & Maude, 2018). This is
seen in the case below;
When the interviewer askedwhether the leg is swollenhe gets back to pen again as the patients
sate that the leg is quite swollen right now and it is hard for her to step on it for a while (2:40).
-The interviewer lost eye contact and displayed lack of attention to detail
-The interviewer attention remained on paper and pen
-The interviewer kept looking unsure whether he really valued the information given
-No therapeutic touch or concern was shown to the patient
- The patient did not seem very comfortable
Avoiding therapeutic touch denied the patient tapping into their own healing and restoring their
wellbeing and wholeness in the levels of their emotions, spiritual, physical and mental (Cheraghi
et al., 2017). The interviewer should have touched the patient fractured area gently even if she
said they hurt to confirm the current condition (Cheraghi et al., 2017). This means trying to show
that you want to know what is happening with the patient (O'Mathúna, 2016). Therapeutic touch
not only helps patient to be convinced that you care about them but balances the energies of the
total person while stimulating their bodies own ability to heal(Henkin et al., 2016).

Therapeutic touch has been associated with faster wound healing, reduction of anxiety and pain
and deep relaxation response (Cheraghi et al., 2017).To improve therapeutic touch in future the
interviewer will need to create conducive environment for both themselves and their patient. This
means that a good relationship will let the patient feel comfortable with the touch and the
interview will be sure that the patient is ready for touch (de Souza, Rosa, Blanco, Passaglia &
Stabile, 2017). This can be possible if at the beginning of introduction the interviewer will show
compassion and empathy as well as display a high active listening skill during the conversation.
Conclusion
This assignment was meant to understand effective nurse-patient communication in a healthcare
setting. In the discussion the mistakes the interviewer made in all areas has been identified and
ways to improve suggested. The assignment has covered the importance of active listening,
empathy and therapeutic touch. Healthcare practitioners should be trained on how to listen
actively to the patients and empathize with them to build trust and confidence in the patients
toward the treatment. Active listening will more importantly help the healthcare practitioners
avoid medication error and unintended error during the drug administration or when given the
actual care. Therapeutic touch should be taken serious as it increases ability of the body to
facilitate own healing.

References
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