Learning Objectives
- Assess one’s own communication skills and effectiveness[1]
- Demonstrate cultural humility, professionalism, and respect when communicating[2]
- Use communication styles and methods that demonstrate caring, respect, active listening, authenticity, and trust[3]
- Maintain communication with interprofessional team members and others to facilitate safe transitions and continuity in care delivery[4]
- Use therapeutic communication techniques
- Confirm the recipient of the communication heard and understands the message[5]
- Apply principles of distance and space
- Discuss strategies for maintaining confidentiality
- Use technology to access current and reliable information
- Use correct medical terminology and abbreviations
- Report significant patient information verbally and in writing
- Document according to legal guidelines
Strong communication skills are essential to provide safe, quality, patient-centered care. Nurses develop therapeutic relationships with patients and family members each day to ensure that health care concerns and needs are addressed. If communication breaks down, information exchange stops and needs go unidentified. Nurses optimize communication channels with patients and families by establishing trust and actively listening to health care concerns. Additionally, the nurse is vital for ensuring that information transfer occurs within the multidisciplinary team. Communication with other health care team members is professional, organized, accurate, complete, and concise. This chapter will review methods for establishing good communication.
Before getting started, view the following video and reflect on the often invisible needs of those around us and the difference we can make by creating caring human connections.
View the video: Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care.[6]
- American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association ↵
- American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association ↵
- American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association ↵
- American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association ↵
- American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association ↵
- Cleveland Clinic. (2013, February 27). Empathy: The human connection to patient care. [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. https://youtu.be/cDDWvj_q-o8 ↵