Nurse-Patient Communication, Essay Example

Introduction

It is necessary for registered nurses to communicate properly with patients because doing so will help contribute to an improved quality of care. Although health care practitioners are typically concerned with their knowledge regarding the medical field, many professionals often forget the value of communication and building patient trust. In addition, it is valuable for health care practitioners to use effective communication skills when discussing cases with colleagues so as to provide maximum benefit to such conversations. Last, it is imperative that registered nurses uphold ethics in communication by working to improve their collaborative skills to improve safety and quality.

Principles of Communication

The seven principles of patient-clinician communication include mutual respect, harmonized goals, a supportive environment, appropriate decision partners, the right information, transparency and full disclosure, and continuous learning. Practitioners and patients that show mutual respect for one another are willing to listen to what one another has to say and work together to determine the most reasonable treatment option available (Paget et al., 2011). Having harmonized goals is important both for the professional team and patient. By making everyone understand that their goals are aligned, it is easier to discuss potential treatment options and make compromises with regards to medical decisions. A supportive environment is necessary for the nursing professional because this allows the individual to feel more confident in expressing his or her opinion, even if it differs from protocol. This allows more information to be utilized in the formulation of medical decisions, thereby contributing to a greater quality of patient care. Having appropriate decision partners is equally as important because it allows teams with the same level of knowledge to work together in a more meaningful manner. Having the right information is important as well and effective communicators ensure that their understandings are correct or supported before sharing them publicly. When communicating with the patient, it is important for nurses to be transparent and admit any affiliations they may have that could influence their decisions and to be sure that patients understand the positive and negative repercussions of health decisions. Last, good communicators constantly learn and apply this knowledge to practice.

I attempt to be transparent, provide correct information, and constantly learn. I am transparent by offering information about side effects of treatments and helping patients understand my decisions about medical options as they pertain to my individual experience. Next, I research information and explanations before offering it to clients to ensure that I provide correct and up to date knowledge. Last, I constantly read peer-reviewed research journals to ensure that I have a current understanding of practice.

Methods of Communication

Three methods that can be used to improve interdisciplinary communication include “implementation of an escalation process tool to facilitate timely communication, daily multidisciplinary patient-centered rounds using a daily goals sheet, and team huddles during each shift” (Dingley et al., n.d.). These methods ensure that members of interdisciplinary teams communicate regularly, understand organizational goals, and have an opportunity to speak with one another face to face. The method that applies best to my own area of my practice is the use of team huddles during each shift. Our organization uses this opportunity to talk out cases and other problems that we may be encountering with professionals in different areas of specialty present so as to gain a comprehensive view of the medical problems that our patients face. This multifaceted view greatly contributes to the quality of care that we are able to deliver.

Ethical Principles and Communication

The four classic ethical principles that can be applied to issues in patient-clinician communication include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Autonomy allows patients to have their own freedom to make positions. I have enacted this in practice by providing my patients with a series of treatment options and allowing them to make an informed decision about which would be best for their lifestyle. Nonmalifience is the requirement to do no harm. In practice, this is done by avoiding advice or treatments that could potentially harm a patient. Beneficence is taking positive action to help others. Nursing becoming involved in community health projects is an example of this. Last, justice is ensuring that the rights of the patient are adequately represented. This is done by acting according to medical law.

Ethics is important in communication because communicating effectively ensures that patients have all of the information they need in order to participate in their care. Furthermore, communication between health care professionals contributes to protecting life and health because it allows different individuals to communicate effectively, which contributes more meaningfully to correct and effective medical decisions being made. It is essential for health care professionals to uphold these standards, at minimum, during their daily practice (Woolf et al., 2004).

Conclusion

Overall, it is the responsibility for health care professionals to ensure that they are communicating effectively because doing so can contribute to the quality of care that patients receive. Ineffective communication can hinder care and add to death and sickness. Doing so would harm the patient and is therefore in direct contrast to the ethical requirements that nurses are required to implement in practice. There are many inter and intrapersonal communication techniques that nurses can begin using immediately to ensure that their patients receive necessary information and that their colleagues are on the same page with them regarding their care. It is important for health care professionals to understand the range of techniques available to them and their teams and to promote their use in the workplace.

References

Dingley et al. (n.d.). Improving Patient Safety Through Provider Communication Strategy Enhancements. Journal Unknown.

Paget et al. (2011). Patient-Clinician Communication: Basic Principles and Expectations. Institute of Medicine.

Woolf SH, Kuzel AJ, Dovey SM, et al. (2004). A string of mistakes: The importance of cascade analysis in describing, counting, and preventing medical errors. Ann Fam Med, 2: 317-326.