Communication for Nurses: Talking with Patients

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Fleitas J. The power of words: Examining the linguistic landscape of pediatric nursing. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. 2003; 28(6):384–388. quiz 389–390. [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Huang L, Lei W, Xu F, Liu H, Yu L. Emotional responses and coping strategies in nurses and nursing students during Covid-19 outbreak: A comparative study. Plos one. 2020;15(8):e0237303. pmid:32764825 Gifts have a dual function, in relation to NRMP: I also believe they are important to me as a caregiver who does this with the child. I mean, after all, however hard I try it will be experienced on many occasions as an injustice. Other findings stress that supporting their child is a natural part of parental responsibilities. In other words parents should not use restraint or perform tasks other than which pertains to their role as parents. This is in line with McGrath, Forrester, Fox-Young, and Huff ( 2002), Pearch ( 2005) and Schechter et al. ( 2007), who discuss that parents have a normal protective intuition, and some parents therefore find it difficult to restrain their children. We thus maintain that nurses must be flexible in responding to how and what parents express so that this limit is not exceeded. McCabe C. Nurse-patient communication: An exploration of patients’ experiences. J Clin Nurs. 2004 Jan;13(1):41–9.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory infectious disease caused by a newly identified coronavirus named SARS‐CoV‐2 [ 1, 2]. Health workers, especially nurses, have to play a significant role in combating this health problem on both preventive and curative sides. A recent systematic review identified that nurses have a pivotal role in healthcare when responding to infectious disease pandemics and epidemics [ 3]. Koh et al. [ 4] report that facing emerging respiratory diseases is an unavoidable health hazard for nurses who are in the frontline of care as nurses have to live, experience and accept this risk. Caring for patients with COVID-19 demands more knowledge and training [ 5]; however, the literature supports that nurses provide this care without adequate expertise [ 6]. Moreover, several studies have explored that nurses experience extra pressure, burden and psychological problems during global respiratory outbreaks (e.g. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS], H1N1 influenza, Human Swine Influenza and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS]) [ 7– 13]. Therefore, nurses need continuous support and training to improve their preparedness and efficacy of crisis management as well as to cope with psychological problems and safeguard their well-being [ 3, 6]. Dworkin SL. Sample size policy for qualitative studies using in-depth interviews. Springer; 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0016-6 Duarte J, Pinto-Gouveia J. Empathy and feelings of guilt experienced by nurses: A cross-sectional study of their role in burnout and compassion fatigue symptoms. Applied Nursing Research. 2017;35:42–7. pmid:28532725 Furthermore the findings in this study demonstrate that nurses have different opinions about restraining children during NRMP, and whether this can be supportive or not. Arguably there is an ambiguity as to how this is expressed. It is consistent with previous research by Brenner, Parahoo, and Taggart ( 2007) and Karen ( 2010). The main difference is the focus on consent and the strength used to restrain. Supportive holding requires consent and no strength is necessary, but during restraint nurses act without consent from the child and a certain amount of strength is used. The limits of this are difficult to define (Karen, 2010; Royal College of Nursing, 2003). We want to emphasize that this reasoning is only applicable if the child is not in a life-threatening condition.they just get worked up. Procedures that are performed acutely appear to increase the fears of the children while the planned NRMP reduce it as the children have time to prepare. Henderson S, Horne M, Hills R, Kendall E. Cultural competence in healthcare in the community: A concept analysis. Health Soc Care Community. 2018 Jul;26(4):590–603. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12556. Health literacy is a precursor to health and achievement of a culture of health,” the group wrote in its policy brief that year. “Patient empowerment, engagement, activation, and maximized health outcomes will not be achieved unless assurance of health literacy is applied universally for every patient, every time, in every health care encounter, and across all environments of care.” And data has confirmed nurse-led patient education has its benefits. A 2019 literature review in the journal The Gerontologist revealed that nurses who spearhead patient education efforts among older adults can support better patient satisfaction and better clinical quality outcomes.

Lee SM, Kang WS, Cho A-R, Kim T, Park JK. Psychological impact of the 2015 MERS outbreak on hospital workers and quarantined hemodialysis patients. Comprehensive psychiatry. 2018;87:123–7. pmid:30343247 Parents are first and foremost the children's representatives, but if the parents are unable to do this, the nurses will take the responsibility for supporting children during NRMP. Similar to the findings of a recent study [ 15], this study reports fear of disease among nurses has been aggravated by being a carrier for the family members. Due to this situation, family members have shown extreme fear as they work in COVID-19 care units. Authorities need to ensure adequate precautions for nurses when they return to families. Additionally, the most reported causes for psychological stresses were separation from family members for an extended period and the inability to physically present to the family during this difficult time. Similar findings can be found in other studies [ 5, 22]. Improving resiliency among nurses is essential. Support networks for families of health workers who are in the frontline of COVID-19 care need to be expanded. The content of communication at this stage of the continuum is both “personal” and “explanatory” [ 3]. Nurses and other healthcare providers create meaningful relationships with patients and their caregivers, understand patients’ concerns, needs, and problems, use open-ended questions to encourage patients or caregivers to express their thoughts and feelings about the care situation. Nurses and other healthcare professionals explain care routines, patients’ health conditions, and management plans in lay language to patients and caregivers through person-centered communication. Accomplishing this level includes employing alternative forms of communication to meet the needs of intensive care unit patients, deaf patients, and ventilated and intubated patients. For instance, it has been shown that “deaf people […] frequently do not have access to clear and efficient communication in the healthcare system, which deprives them of critical health information and qualified health care” [ 36]. Empathetic communication practices, including active listening, showing genuine interest in patients’ care, and respect and warmth, become a significant part of nursing care [ 3, 7, 14, 22]. Crawford T, Candlin S, Roger P. (2017). New perspectives on understanding cultural diversity in nurse-patient communication. Collegian, 2017 Feb 1;24(1):63 – 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.09.001.

Mukhtar PS. Mental Well-being of Nursing Staff during the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cultural Perspective. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2020. pmid:32418672 World Health Organisation. Coronavirus. 2020. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1