Principles of Communication in Nursing

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Principles of Communication
Verbal vs. Non-Verbal Communication
SBAR Communication
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Effective communication is crucial in nursing because it allows healthcare professionals to choose the optimal strategy for helping their patients and interacting with their co-workers. Verbal and non-verbal communication is equally essential for nurses, and it is possible to evaluate communication effectiveness using the SBAR tool. Registered nurses should know the principles that make professional interaction prolific and ethical (Wagner, 2018). The purpose of the paper is to understand that the principles of communication are essential while delegating the duties of the registered nurse to other healthcare providers without endangering the patient’s safety. Effective communication is a vital competency in nursing that allows the healthcare professional to promote the patient’s interests and delegate tasks between the team members.

Principles of Communication

Even though the communication principles between nurses and other healthcare specialists, and nurses and patients are slightly different, they are based on the same code of professional ethics. According to this, pursuing the patient’s safety and well-being is the main communication issue (Wagner, 2018). This aim determines the communicative process or the way registered nurses interact with co-workers and patients. Nurses often deal with emotionally complicated tasks when interacting with patients and adapt to the interlocutor using various communication modes (Wagner, 2018). For instance, the nurse should develop listening skills to understand the needs of the patient or the co-worker and to find the appropriate communication mode based on internal and external factors. In this case, the registered nurse must balance professional objectivity and providing the patient with the required support.

Professional interaction of the nurse is consistent with the s of modes of communication. There is a difference between interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive communication modes that reflect the motivation of the speaker (Wittenberg et al., 2018). Internal communication is the process of interaction with co-workers, while external communication is the interaction with patients in the clinical setting (Wittenberg et al., 2018). Paying equal attention to internal and external factors that affect communication allows nurses to preserve professionalism and empathy in approaching people.

At the same time, when the nurse prepares the summary of the information about the patient, they should also describe their subjective perception of the case. For example, suppose the patient needs to speak English at an adequate level, and it is challenging to communicate the clinical recommendations to them (Wittenberg et al., 2018). In that case, the nurse should emphasize this in interacting with co-workers (Wittenberg et al., 2018). It allows the assumption that pursuing the patient’s interests is the main principle in the communication of the registered nurse, and they should combine objectivity and empathy in their reports to their co-workers.

Verbal vs. Non-Verbal Communication

Verbal communication can be oral and written; in both cases, the person articulates their thoughts using the language. Precision and accuracy are the key characteristics that the registered nurse should remember in professional verbal communication (Fuoto & Turner, 2019). There should not be controversial personal opinions about the discussed issues in professional verbal communication. The way nurse communicates using verbal channels should reflect their competencies (Fuoto & Turner, 2019). In this case, the data obtained by the nurse about the clinical issue can be used as the basis for the work of another healthcare professional, which facilitates interaction within the team.

Professionalism is also a significant component of the non-verbal communication of the registered nurse. At the same time, it is challenging to measure and evaluate it, making demonstrating professionalism difficult. Such elements of non-verbal communication as the nurse’s gestures, eye contact, posture, movement, and voice tone are vital in creating the appropriate professional image (Barrow & Sharma, 2022). Even though the perception of these characteristics is subjective in some cases, most people share a similar opinion about their importance (Barrow & Sharma, 2022). It foregrounds the need to consciously apply non-verbal communicative tools to achieve the required results in interacting with patients and co-workers.

It is possible to find numerous examples from clinical practice that illustrate the importance of using non-verbal communicative signs in the evaluation of the nurse’s professionalism and judgment. For example, when the nurse speaks to the patient in a confident voice, her appearance is tidy and clean, and her gestures are calm, the patient sees that the professional cares for them (Barrow & Sharma, 2022). Suppose the nurse displays such non-verbal signs as a hysterical voice, dirty clothes, and panic in gestures. In that case, the patient will not think about them as a professional whose opinion is credible. A similar example can be applied to the communication between co-workers. In case the nurse avoids eye contact with another healthcare professional while talking about the patient’s case, there is the chance that they are not assured in their descriptions (Barrow & Sharma, 2022). These examples illustrate the notion of congruence of verbal and non-verbal communication that supposes that verbal and non-verbal signs should convey a similar message (Barrow & Sharma, 2022). In other words, these two channels of communication should provide coherent data to the audience and create the appropriate image in the professional interaction of the registered nurse.

SBAR Communication

The SBAR approach to communication supposes equal attention to the situation in the clinical practice, its background, the assessment, and the recommendations on the issue. This framework is convenient to use in critical situations requiring the healthcare professional’s attention within a limited period (Abbaszade et al., 2021). The SBAR method allows the registered nurse to articulate the information on the case concisely, which is essential in communication between the team members (Abbaszade et al., 2021). It is vital to mention that this approach promotes patient safety, which is the fundamental component of the ethical behavior of the professional nurse (Abbaszade et al., 2021). Therefore, the SBAR framework can be used in various clinical settings to communicate the message to colleagues precisely and to ensure the patient receives adequate help.

The SBAR communicative tool supposes high accuracy in conveying the message to another healthcare professional who might not be acquainted with the case. For this reason, delegating tasks between the team members is crucial because it supposes that all professionals understand the clinical background and the peculiarities of the case (Barrow & Sharma, 2022). The active use of the SBAR technique allows healthcare specialists to increase the quality of their services and improve the team’s interaction (Lo et al., 2021). In other words, situations when the nurse has to delegate a task to another co-worker, are common in clinical practice. It requires the ability to articulate the information about the patient, their state, and the previous clinical intervention precisely and to convey this message to another nurse (Lo et al., 2021). The SBAR technique is the optimal solution for this task that supposes a clear written summary for the subsequent multifaceted clinical interventions.

Conclusion

Verbal, non-verbal, and SBAR communicative tools are critical in effective communication between team members. Interaction between healthcare professionals in the clinical setting should be based on the central principles of ethical behavior. The focus on the patient’s safety is the most vital concern for nurses and doctors, which determines the communicative tools they choose. For this reason, communication between healthcare specialists should be accurate, precise, and detailed. It allows them to delegate tasks within the team without endangering the patient’s health, which is essential in their work. Nurses often focus on verbal communication and disregard non-verbal interaction, which is a potential problem. Moreover, they focus on written interaction because conveying the message is usually associated with professionalism. At the same time, verbal and non-verbal communication types are equally important in the practical work of the registered nurse.

References

Abbaszade, A., Assarroudi, A., Armat, M. R., Stewart, J. J., Rakhshani, M. H., Sefidi, N., & Sahebkar, M. (2021). Evaluation of the impact of handoff based on the SBAR technique on quality of nursing care. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 36(3), E38–E43. Web.

Barrow, J. M., & Sharma, S. (2022). Five rights of nursing delegation. StatPearls Publishing.

Fuoto, A., & Turner, K. M. (2019). Palliative care nursing communication: An evaluation of the COMFORT model. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing: JHPN: The Official Journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, 21(2), 124–130. Web.

Lo, L., Rotteau, L., & Shojania, K. (2021). Can SBAR be implemented with high fidelity and does it improve communication between healthcare workers? A systematic review. BMJ Open, 11(12), e055247. Web.

Wagner E. A. (2018). Improving patient care outcomes through better delegation-communication between nurses and assistive personnel. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 33(2), 187–193. Web.

Wittenberg, E., Ferrell, B., Kanter, E., & Buller, H. (2018). Health literacy: Exploring nursing challenges to providing support and understanding. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 22(1), 53–61. Web.

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