Communication in Nursing Essay

To listen to another individual is the most caring act of all. Listening and tending are by far the most important aspect of being a nurse (Burnard 1992). One of the basics of good nursing is good communicating skills with uncomplainings. Being unable to communicate substantially with a patient immediately dope destroy the nurse/patient relationship and therefore the patient whitethorn not trust the nurse (Anon 2007). The purpose of this essay is the realise the grandness of communication in nursing. Without communication nurses would be unable to provide the correct assist, scarce improving communication is a life-long developmental process (Ewles and Simnett 2005). I will draw on my individualal experience from the clinical area to place how well the theory relates to the practical side of nursing and use the process recording sheet for structure and guidance. In accordance with The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code of Conduct, nurses must respect peoples right to confidentiality.Therefore for the purpose of this essay the patient discussed is referred to as except C., and any personal or identifiable discipline has also been altered so as to protect her privacy and dignity which are also enshrined in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code of Conduct.. I asked Miss C. for explicit permission to use our interpersonal relationship in my communications essay and advised her of my obligations on my professional conduct to which I am butt against by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008), regarding professional, moral and safe practice. Miss C., was in agreement to be involved with my assignment and on no account was her tangible care at risk during this interaction. I was nearing the end of my placement in a common medical ward within a large general hospital.The ward had a variety of medical complaints including diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, stroke and alcohol liver disease. A young 21 year old female was admitted to the w ard, at once known as Miss C., with an increased weight loss and she was in exigency of pain management. Miss C., was awaiting heart surgery, replacement hips and replacement knees at major(ip) surgical hospital in another area of the country. Her health status was poor as she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and had a congenital heart defect. Miss Cs., pain was managed with oramorph, ketamine and fentanyl patches, but these proved to have little relief. Miss C., spent the majority of cartridge holder in bed due to her severe pain, and due to this she criedout a lot. Her take was bowed and she had difficulty in making eye contact. She pour forthed slowly and quietly and nigh meters mumbled, she was also a very pathetic person.I thought that communication would be difficult with Miss C., as she was mostly in pain but I also believed that she would like psyche to talk to but that person would need to be a good listener. It is important to remember that nurses hav e the duty to provide care holistically, for the whole person, not just for their physical needs but their mental and social needs too (Kenworthy et al. 2002). Miss C., liked to be washed in her bed either morning as movement for her was difficult. The bay that she was in was busy with little privacy only the curtains for seclusion. I went into wash her one morning and because of her psoriasis she needed surplus creams applied religiously. She spoke quietly slightly her illness and explained her difficulties to me. Talking about her family, her illness and when she was younger made her sad and she was crying. I felt that Miss Cs ability to communicate was linked to how she felt about herself. She was over-critical about herself and underestimated her abilities.This lack of self-confidence reflected her ability to communicate (Ewles and Simnett 2005). She was in so much pain, her head was bowed and she could not make eye contact. I was leaning in close to her bedside, partake in was not good, her body was too sore. I tried to show empathy towards Miss C., by giving her time to talk, being patient and listening to her. Was she crying because she was in so much pain or was it because she was recalling happy memories from out front she fell ill? I was desperately trying to understand how she may be feeling. According to Arnold and Boggs (2003), empathy is the ability to be sensitive to and communicate understanding of the patients feelings. Being compassionate is similar to being empathetic in a air that it is important to recognise that Miss Cs feelings function to her and not to me. I was interested in Miss Cs illness, to learn more about her condition and hear about her difficulties. She was very main(a) and wanted to do as much as she could by herself. Help was minimal and she only asked when she was struggling to re-position her feet. I used active listening to accord to her speak without interrupting but I paid close attention to her facial expressi ons and body language. Argyle (see Kenworthy et al. 2002) suggests facial expressions provide a running commentary on emotional states. I asked Miss C. open questions about her illness as I thought this would allow me to encourage her to talk.It also allowed Miss C to limn her experiences, feelings and understandings. Open ended questions are used to elicit the client s thoughts and perspectives without influencing the direction of an acceptable response (Arnold and Boggs 2003 p.241). I wanted to try and take her beware off her pain as it was upsetting to see her being so unhappy, so I commented on some magazines that were lying on her table and asked her about her taste in music. This was a good subject, her eye lit up and she smiled. We finally made eye contact. Using the semiotic school of thought, Miss C and myself were exchanging verbal and non-verbal communication in order to understand each others feelings. According to Kozier (2008) non-verbal communication can include the use of silence, facial expressions, touch and body posture. Miss C was keen to talk about her taste in music and became very chatty, in fact, she became sort of excited. I put some cds on for her to listen to and as I did this she asked me questions about my taste in music. There was now no barriers to our communication as we both(prenominal) shared the same taste in music. When the music was playing Miss C was in a different world, she was more relaxed. I took her hand and held it gently, her eyes were closed, she was smiling and she appeared more content. By holding her hand, I felt as though I was comforting and reassuring her.This was an indication that I really did care and that I wanted to help her. Using touch skilfully and thoughtfully can convey that you are able to be with your patient (Benner 2001 p.57). Communication can be therapeutic and the music playing was not a barrier in communications, it was in fact beneficial. Therefore, it is argued that effective communicat ion is more than delivering high spirit patient-centred care but it also allows patients to feel involved in their care, which can make a significant difference to their outlook on their treatment (Collins 2009). Reflecting support I realised that I was really quite worried about the communication difficulties I was facing during my interaction. Miss C., was a very strong willed person who knew exactly what she needed and yet she desperately wanted to be as independent as possible. I wanted her to allow me in and for her to be satisfied with me.I am glad I eventually gained her trust and we both became more relaxed. In fact, the impact that this interaction had on our relationship was that as the geezerhood went on we became very good friends and she was very special to me. Sully and Dallas (2005), suggeststhat to have an empathetic understanding of our patients needs we must recognise their need for comfort and we respond to this compassionately. It was important to be non-judg emental, I accepted Miss C., for who she was no matter what her circumstances were and my main concern was to care for her in a professional and beneficial way and in a manner that she preferred. Putting the interaction into perspective, I originally found Miss C very demanding, ever so calling out and constantly pressing the call buzzer. Some staff were very reluctant to go to her because her personal care was very time consuming. It was time consuming but it was because she was in a lot of pain. Surely this was a barrier to communication as some staff did not take the time to listen to what Miss C required and as health promoters, we need to develop skills of effective listening so that we can help people to talk and express their needs and feelings (Ewles and Simnett 2005). From recording and analysing my interactions I have learned to accept people for who they are as each of us have had different experiences passim life and these experiences make us who we are.It was also imp ortant to acknowledge Miss Cs point of view, her emotions and thoughts without judgement as being aware of these helped to think her perspective and needs (Silverman et al. 2005). I have also learned to be a good listener and an active listener. Ewles and Simnett (2005) suggest that this means taking argumentation of the non-verbal communication as well as the spoken words. It is important to maintain eye contact, observe the body language, listen properly and pick up on non-verbal signs as well as verbal signs. The environment is important too, along with being sensitive, honest and compassionate (Anon 2007). Collins (2007) argues that judgemental attitudes can stand in the way of getting to know your patient and that labels attached to individuals such as demented can act as a language barrier. Effective nursing requires us to be assertive, responsible and to help our patients achieve the best possible health status (Balzer Riley 2008). In conclusion, the key points that have be en discussed in this essay are that of the importance of communicating in nursing and how nurses can improve their communication skills and maintain their effectiveness. We must provide holistic care for our patients and the goal is to listen to the whole person and provide them with empathetic understanding. Another key point is that we must be non judgemental no matter what the patients circumstances are.Overall communication during this interaction was positive, therapeutic and helped to build a relationship. This essay has shown how personal experience from the clinical area relates the theory to the practical side of nursing and how it is imperative that communication is clear, understandable, arrogate and effective. 1819 wordsRead more http//www.ukessays.com/essays/nursing/communication-in-nursing-nursing-essay.phpixzz2fJpdOIza