Promoting effective communication skills in nursing practice

Module overview

This module highlights the importance of effective communication skills for nurses. It focuses on core communication skills, their definitions and the positive outcomes that result when applied to practice. Effective communication is central to the provision of compassionate, high quality nursing care. The module aims to refresh and develop existing knowledge and understanding of effective communication skills. Nurses reading this module are encouraged to develop a more conscious style of communicating with patients and carers, with the aim of improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Keywords

active listening, communication, communication skills, non-verbal communication, nurse-patient relations

Pre-test questionnaire

Before starting this module, test your knowledge on this subject by answering ten multiple choice questions.

1. Good communication between a nurse and a patient:a) Increases the patient’s pain levelsb) Improves the patient’s emotional healthc) Only involves verbal communicationd) Results in deteriorating physiological measures

2. A nurse empathises with a patient by:a) Setting aside personal thoughtsb) Actively listeningc) Being willing to consider the situation from a patient’s perspectived) All of the above

3. Empathy involves:a) Seeing or hearing something that gives you a hint about how a person is feelingb) Saying something to show you appreciate how another person is feelingc) Asking permissiond) Responding to what you are noticing

4. Which is not a barrier to effective communication?a) Lack of privacyb) Use of technical jargonc) Non-verbal communicationd) Heavy workload

5. Listening is demonstrated by:a) Screeningb) Ignoring patient cuesc) Talkingd) Reflecting

6. Which core communication skill involves using encouraging words and gestures?a) Using minimal promptsb) Using pausesc) Making educated guessesd) Summarising

7. What is a communication cue?a) A hintb) A reminderc) An exampled) An order

8. Cues can relate to:a) Statementsb) Body languagec) Behaviourd) All of the above

9. Which communication skill assists in keeping the focus on the patient?a) Acknowledgingb) Making educated guessesc) Looking and listening for cuesd) Avoiding detail unless requested

10. Cue-based consultations are shorter than non-cue-based consultations by how much?a) 5-7%b) 10-12%c) 15-17%d) 20-25%

1. Answer: b) Improves the patient’s emotional health

Rationale: Patients often undergo psychological distress. Effective communication by healthcare professionals improves patient’s health by positively influencing emotional health.

2. Answer: d) All of the above

Rationale: Nurses empathise with patients by active listening, which helps them to clarify and articulate their feelings. Nurses need to set aside their own attitudes, beliefs and personal thoughts so that they do not affect their judgement. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand a patient’s feelings, understand the situation from patient’s perspective, and communicate this understanding to the patient.

3- Answer: b) Saying something to show you appreciate how another person is feeling

4- Answer: c) Non-verbal communication

Rationale: Non-verbal communication plays a very important role in communication. It usually acts as a bridge rather than a barrier and involves cues, signs and symbols.

5- Answer: d) Reflecting

Rationale: Active listening involves attending and reflective listening. Listening involves reflecting back the feeling and content of a message to communicate that you are listening to and understanding what someone is saying to you. Active listening can help to develop trust and respect between patients and healthcare professionals and prevent misunderstandings.

6- Answer: a) Using minimal prompts

Rationale: Using minimal prompts such as ‘Mm’ or ‘Aha’, a nod or a smile is a core communication skill which involves using encouraging words and gestures.

7- Answer: a) A hint

Rationale: A cue is defined as a verbal or non-verbal hint which suggests an underlying unpleasant emotion that lacks clarity. Cues are hints and can include words, gestures or body language.

8- Answer: d) All of the above

9- Answer: c) Looking and listening for cues

Rationale: Looking and listening for cues is a communication skill that assists in keeping the focus on the patient and exploring the patient’s perspective. By doing this, a better relationship can develop with the patient and useful information may be revealed that would not otherwise have been discovered.

10- Answer: b) 10-12%