Communication in nursing is essential to building comfort and trust with your patients, their families, and colleagues. Effective communication helps maintain a positive relationship to provide patients with the best care. Nurses spend most of their time communicating with patients and other healthcare providers.

To have a successful career in nursing, you must learn how to communicate effectively. Continue reading this blog to learn the types, principles, barriers, and how to improve communication in nursing.

Why is communication important in nursing?

To be a successful nurse or healthcare provider, you must have excellent communication skills and use them all the time. Communication in nursing helps healthcare practitioners to collaborate with teams and colleagues from other disciplines. Nurses report to other healthcare providers about the patient’s status, which is vital to patient-centered care.

Nurses who listen and understand their patient’s concerns can manage rising issues, resulting in better patient outcomes. Patients who have an open dialogue with a healthcare provider will likely get their issues addressed and managed. Interpersonal communication influences the decision quality and patient motivation to follow treatment procedures.

Nurses’ notes serve as written communication and should be clear for other healthcare providers to understand the patient’s health status and the care that was performed. Poor communication can result in patient misunderstanding and failure to follow treatment procedures.

The following are the roles of communication in nursing;

• Communication helps healthcare providers understand patient’s conditions and needs
• It helps understand the emotional status of a patient
• It gives an understanding of the social determinants of health
• Enables tracking changes in care
• Identifies specialized needs
• It helps improve patient outcomes and relieve stress
• Helps advocate for patients

Principles of communication in nursing

The following are principles of communication in nursing;

• Communication should have a purpose and objectives
• It would be best if you involved others to ensure effective communication
• Communication should be appropriate to the situation
• It would be best if you used appropriate language and medium to achieve its purpose
• Communication should follow appropriate actions or demonstration
• Communication should be credible
• You should understand the patient’s reactions to know if the message is clear
• You should communicate a message that adds value to your patient’s needs
• You should analyze the information you want to pass on to ensure it’s sensible

Barriers to communication in nursing

There following are barriers to communication in nursing;

1. Physical barriers

Physical factors such as noise can hinder communication in nursing. Noise from people, alarm beeping, etc., can distract a patient from listening to your explanation. You should ensure the environment is quiet while passing information.

2. Language barrier

When passing information, you should use language that your patient understands. If you don’t have a common language with your patient, consider getting an interpreter. You should also avoid using medical terminologies and unfamiliar or complicated words and use simple words that are easy to digest.

3. Cultural barrier

Culture is another barrier to effective communication. When the patient’s culture and perception of health and death may differ from the nurse’s, you should learn cultural communication in nursing, such as being sensitive while dealing with patients from different cultures.

4. Psychological

Psychological barriers, such as anxiety, fear, pain, stress, etc., can hinder communication. When addressing sensitive topics, a patient might experience anxiety or stress, which can block communication. Also, when a patient is experiencing pain, concentration can be difficult.

Effects of ineffective communication in nursing

The following are the effects of ineffective communication in nursing;

1. Medical errors

A mistake can occur when information is not shared appropriately by medical staff caring for a patient. Documentation in nursing is essential and should be distributed to other staff on time to identify errors and correct them early.

2. Long waiting time

Waiting to access healthcare is frustrating. Patients leave before being seen by doctors due to long waiting times, which correlate to poor services. These delays are a result of poor communication, which declines patient experience.

3. Wrong, expensive, or delayed treatment

As a healthcare provider, you should prioritize eliminating liabilities. Patients receiving improper treatment, incorrect treatment, or experiencing procedural delay can lead to severe consequences and a financial reputation.

4. Incomplete follow-up

Physicians make follow up to know if the patient is taking medication correctly, which can be challenging without communication. Without adequate follow-up, you lose track of your patient’s status which could result in poor outcomes.

5. Inadequate outreach to elderly patients

Effective communication is necessary when dealing with isolated people who don’t maintain contact with friends or family. Without communication, it may lead to neglecting those elderly patients.

6. Uninformed recommendation

Patient data should be managed carefully. The patient will not receive appropriate recommendations if the data is inconsistently shared among healthcare providers. It could hinder physicians from making a decision.

7. Mishandling private medical data

Healthcare organizations are adopting a culture of data privacy and insecurity threats rise as technology evolves. Without incorporating electronic health records effectively, patient data can be exposed.

Factors that influence communication in nursing

Below are factors influencing communication in nursing;

1. Time

The amount of time spent communicating will influence communication. As a nurse, you should give your patient enough time to talk and ask questions and also take your time to pass information effectively.

2. Perception

A patient’s perception of health or a particular situation is what the nurse is explaining. Communication will be effective because patients can relate to what they already know.

3. Space and distance

Respecting people’s space and distance is essential in communication. For example, a nurse should keep an appropriate distance and avoid touching the patients while communicating.

4. Experience

Previous experience impacts the communication process. Communicating a specific procedure to an experienced patient will be very effective as they can relate to previous experience.

5. Position

The position of an individual influences communication. Senior health practitioners can communicate effectively with subordinates because they are more experienced and knowledgeable.

Ways to improve communication in nursing

Below are methodologies of communication in nursing;

• Be attentive to your patients to build trust and rapport
• Start with a question to help your patient to relax and feel comfortable
• Maintain curiosity about your patient to know their concern
• Summarize what the patient all through
• Involve family and friends when the patient’s situation is complex
• Use simple and concise language that is easy for your patient to understand
• Be mindful of your patient’s situation
• Be patient, and don’t rush your patients
• You should ensure patient-centered communication in nursing
• Communicate in a different way, such as using tools and analogies
• Demonstrate a positive attitude
• Ask for help from a colleague if a patient is not comfortable opening up to you

What are the 4 Cs of communication in nursing?

The four Cs of communication are; clear, concise, correct, and complete.

1. Clear

As a nurse, you should communicate clearly to pass the message effectively and avoid repeating yourself. It would be best if you communicated in the most straightforward manner keeping your purpose in mind to achieve your desired results. If you overwhelm your listener with too many words, they will tune out and not get the information.

2. Concise

Whether using written or verbal communication in nursing, your message should be brief and comprehensive to enable your patient or team to grab key points quickly. You should avoid irrelevant information and focus on the central issues keeping your listener or reader in mind.

3. Correct

Communication in nursing is vital to patients’ health, and you should ensure your message is correct. Correct information will enhance meaningful and trustworthy communication that serves its purpose, whether communicating with your patient or other healthcare providers.

4. Complete

Communication in nursing should be complete to avoid missing information that can interfere with a patient’s health. Ensure you gather relevant information with details, figures, and facts to enhance understanding and well-informed actions and decisions.

What are the types of communication in nursing?

There are two types of communication in nursing; written and oral communication.

1. Written communication

Written communication is documentation that nurses write regarding the patients. Nurses record patients’ status and all care they carry out throughout the shift to update other health practitioners about a patient. These documents must be accurate to pass information correctly and are legally binding.

Nurse report includes patient assessment, treatment, diagnosis, and health status. Nurses should understand medical terminologies to understand complex medical scenarios easily.

2. Oral communication

Oral communication in nursing can either be verbal or non-verbal.

• Verbal

Verbal communication is the use of oral language to pass information. It can be between the nurse and the patient, family members, or other healthcare providers. The message in verbal communication must follow the 5 Cs of communication in nursing, which are concise, complete, clear, courteous, and cohesive to be effective.

• Non-verbal

Non-verbal communication uses body language, facial expressions, and gestures. Nurses should note non-verbal signals that patients are sending back to know if the patient is listening and understanding.

Final word

Communication in nursing is vital as it enhances a nurse-patient relationship. To succeed in nursing, you must have excellent communication skills. Effective communication can be the tool that gets you mentioned in the patient satisfaction survey or the critical skill that will place you on your road to promotion. Use this blog to understand effective communication in nursing.