Overview

Prepare a 3-4-page report on nurse-patient communication in which you address types of communication, factors that influence the communication experience, and how the patient experience affects health outcomes. Recommend evidence-based strategies to improve nurse-patient communication and explain how the strategies consider patient demographics.

Nursing professionals do not only communicate with others within their organizations-often, they are also the first point of contact with patients. Thus, nursing professionals need superior communication skills to explain procedures and medication instructions, as well as to listen to what patients need to say.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 2: Describe the concepts, processes, and tools required to conduct comprehensive health assessments for individuals, families, communities, and populations.

Recommend evidence-based strategies to improve nurse-client/patient communication.

Explain how nurse-client/patient communication strategies consider individual demographics.

Competency 3: Explain the internal and external factors that can affect the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations.

Describe the types of communication that occur between nurses and clients/patients.

Explain the factors that influence the communication experience between nurses and clients/patients.

Explain how the client/patient communication experience can impact health care outcomes.

Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations of a nursing professional.

Write content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

Correctly format citations and references using current APA style.

Context

Clark and Paraska (2014) suggest that understanding how people communicate is the first step in learning how to teach patients more effective methods of listening, self-awareness, and self-expression-and also in identifying barriers in communication. The process of communication can be difficult, as we can interpret meaning based on a variety of hidden messages-some conscious and intentional-some not.

Reference

Clark, C. C., &Paraska, K. K. (2014). Health promotion for nurses: A practical guide. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.

How well do you communicate with other professionals with whom you work?

How well do you listen when other professionals speak to you?

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:

Dean, E. (2012). A patient approach. Nursing Standard, 27(10), 16-18.

Eggenberger, T., Garrison, H., Hilton, N., &Giovengo, K. (2013). Discharge phone calls: Using person-centred communication to improve outcomes. Journal of Nursing Management, 21(5), 733-739.

Easton, P., Entwistle, V. A., & Williams, B. (2013). How the stigma of low literacy can impair patient-professional spoken interactions and affect health: Insights from a qualitative investigation. BMC Health Services Research, 13(1), 1-12.

Nørgaard, B., Kofoed, P., Ohm Kyvik, K., &Ammentorp, J. (2012). Communication skills training for health care professionals improves the adult orthopaedic patient's experience of quality of care. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 26(4), 698-704.

Warnock, C. (2014). Breaking bad news: Issues relating to nursing practice. Nursing Standard, 28(45), 51-58.

Manias, E. (2010). Medication communication: A concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(4), 933-943.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have either been granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

Nursing Professional Communication - Hostile Client | Transcript.
Nurse and the Angry Patient | Transcript.
Nurse Patient Relationship/Communication | Transcript.
Proper Patient Care - Communication Techniques | Transcript.
Say This, Not That: Patient Experience Video | Transcript.

Assessment Instructions

Imagine that, in an effort to reduce the number of patient complaints about nursing staff, organizational leadership has asked your department to prepare some preliminary research on a number of different topics. Your topic is patient communication, such as the following:

The types of communication that take place between nurses and patients.

The factors that can influence both positive and negative experiences.

How the experience can impact health care outcomes.

Strategies that can improve the communication between nurses and patients.

Preparation

Search the Capella library and the Internet for peer-reviewed journal articles or other professional resources on the topic of effective communication with patients. You will need at least 3 resources to support your work in this assessment.

Directions

Prepare a report on patient-nurse communication in which you include the following:

Describe the types of communication that take place between nurses and clients/patients. Do not forget to consider types of communication beyond verbal and written on paper.

Explain the factors that influence positive and negative experiences during the communication process. (Hint: Consider the experiences of both the client/patient and the nurse. Also, consider things such as age, gender, culture, and so on, of both the client/patient and the nurse.)

Explain how the client/patient experience can impact health care outcomes.

Recommend evidence-based strategies for improving communication between client/patients and nurses.

Explain how the strategies consider different client/patient demographics.

Format this assessment as a report that you would give to your supervisor. It may be helpful for you to review how your organization formats internal reports and incorporate your findings. You are still required to adhere to APA guidelines for in-text citations and references, as well as for formatting your reference page.

Additional Requirements

Include a title page and a reference page.

Ensure your assessment is 3-4 pages in length.

Use double-spaced, 12-pt., Times New Roman font.