Interpersonal Skills Communication & Thought

Question: Discuss about theInterpersonal Skills for Communication Thought. Answer: Introduction Exchange of messages verbal or non-verbal is communication, participated by all individuals. Between groups or individuals communication are constantly exchanged and the communication can either be in written words or spoken words or even silence. Communication can be stated as a process which cannot be avoided by any individual because all behaviour has a message. Communication is essential in all walks and effective communication skills are paramount in all relationships. In every field good communication skills are an added advantage but in the development of a therapeutic patient/nurse relationship it is crucial. In this paper a discussion has been made on the importance of communication skills in the field of nursing. For highlighting the importance of communication skills of Listening, Feedback Questioning a definition of communication, and referencing of communication theories and use of the three skills in practise has been presented. To develop effective skills and an excellent nurse/patient relationship it is important that a meaningful communication takes place (Kourkouta Papathanasiou, 2014). For the development of meaningful communication and improvement in ones skills it is crucial that the nurses engage in reflection analysis. Interpersonal Skills According to Kagan, et al (2013) sending, receiving, and decoding of information between two or more people is communication. It involves a number of skills like listening to the patient, talking with the patient, asking questions and giving feedback (Kagan Evans, 2013). One of the main ways to collect information is through verbal language via questions and answers. Questioning in nursing is a primary process and is definitely a powerful tool. With questioning the nurses gather a lot of information regarding the patients which helps to diagnose the diseases, ailments and problems faced by them. Open-ended questioning and closed questioning are the two main types put to use. In an open-ended question the patient is encouraged to give more than a one word response. Generally in open-ended questioning the patients reply to questions pertaining to when, how, where, what, who, Why. The patient talks about their conditions and the affects of the ailment. Such questioning provokes the patient to give details about how they are feeling and thus helps to make the diagnosis. Open ended questions generally lead to patient getting opened up and not bottling down information, this helps to develop a relationship of trust between the nurse and the patient. The patient understands that he is getting complete attention of the nurse as the nurse is listening to him. A therapeutic relationship is developed because of the psychological focus is given as interest is being taken by the nurse in all aspects of the patients life (Vertino, 2014). On the other hand closed questions are tending to collect more specific information or say data. Closed questions help the nurse to gather more factual information in a very short time. For the ease of collecting information the closed questions are further divided as focused questions and multiple-choice questions. Through focused questioning a nurse can gather information regarding a particular clinical situation. For example: a patient is asked about a prescription. The multiple-choice questions are generally designed on the nurses understanding of the condition of the patient. For example: the patient is asked to answer the pain he feels like throbbing or a sharp pain or a dull pain. Questioning a patient does not help if the listening skills of the nurse are not effective. If the nurse is not listening carefully the patients sharing of information, feelings and concerns are of no use and thus leads to a dissatisfactory relationship (Neese, 2015). If nurses listening skills are efficient a very good understanding can be developed about the patient and his recent health issues. Causes for poor listening could be the result of message overload among nurses, also poor effort and physical and psychological noise could be the reason. In a nurses role thus it is important that they are prepared to listen carefully and ready to put the efforts to listen. Again the nurses have to rely on team work and good communication skills are very crucial to it. Many nurses code of conduct clearly describe that it is very important for nurses to work cooperatively within teams and have to have respect for the contributions, skills and expertise possessed by their colleagues. Listening to patients does not imply hearing what they are peaking but allowing the patient to express themselves, their worries and concerns. It is the nurses job to listen what the patient is not saying through the patients non-verbal communication (Reeves, 2015). Nurses maximize their listening skills when they paraphrase patients thoughts and also by understanding their feelings. If a nurse lacks effective listening, questioning and giving feedback skills it is likely that it could act as a barrier and there results misinformation (Ashmore, 2004). Consequences of misinformation or say ineffective communication could get dangerous for the patient. Giving feedback to other health professionals as well as to the patient it is important that there are no misunderstandings. A clear and uninterrupted flow of information is very important in a nurses job. While giving feedback the nurses are supposed to have bed-side manners. If a nurse is insensitive or not empathetic and gives out information without consideration to the patients mental status, the feedback may come out as disturbing. It is important that the nurses give out feedback considering the status and situation of the patient and also close family and friends. It is also important that when the nurses are giving feedback to the patient and their family and friends the uses of medical jargons are limited wherever possible (Bach Grant, 2015). When giving feedback to other health professionals the information should be as clear as possible. This will help in identifying and making right choices with respect to the treatment. All in all the nurses are required to be open, fl exible and versatile in their approach. This is clearly not possible without good listening, questioning and feedback giving skills (Mhlanga, 2013). A good communication skills in a nurses job results in a good patient recovery rate and reduced hospital admission times suggesting that good communication in a nurses job is cost effective (Parbury, 2009). Different aspects of patients life are crucial to the process of recovery and communication can itself form a significant aspect of treatment. Conclusion It is crucial in care giving services that the patients understand that the care givers are there to help them physically as well as psychologically and therefore requires nurses to interact with patients in complete range of communication skills. The nurses willingness to interact, engage and communicate is the sole reason a patient expresses himself efficiently. Thus it is clear that the use of interpersonal skills like Listening, questioning and feedback are very important to a nurses field of job. In conclusion it can be stated that the crucial nature of above mentioned interpersonal skills cannot be overlooked. The code of conduct of The Nursing and Midwifery Council had made it clear that people can only apply for the nurses job if they are being able to work in teams and respect each other and if a nurse wants to apply for a position it is important that they should have effective communication skills before they register (MNC, 2010) References Ashmore, R., 2004. Student nurses use of their interpersonal skills within clinical role-plays. Nurse Education Today, 24(1), pp. 20-29. Bach, S. Grant, A., 2015. Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Nursing. s.l.:Learning Matters. Kagan, C. Evans, J., 2013. Professional Interpersonal Skills for Nurses. Illustrated ed. s.l.:Springer. Kourkouta, L. Papathanasiou, I. V., 2014. Communication in Nursing Practice. MasteriaSocioMedica, 26(1), pp. 65-67. Mhlanga, F., 2013. Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Nursing. Nurse Education in Practise, 13(1). MNC, 2010. 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