by Deanna R. Miller, RN, MSN/Ed, HCE, manager of inpatient units at University Hospitals Geneva (OH) Medical Center

My experiences as a hospital patient—in relation to nursing care—have never been negative. I received my medications on time, and the nurse came in each shift and assessed me. But what was lacking with my care was complete and effective patient education.

Each day, as my nurse was performing an array of tasks, I often asked questions related to my stay and illness. Although the questions were answered appropriately, I felt as if it were a race with the clock as my eyes followed the nurse around the room as if she were a ping-pong ball. I knew if I did not get all my questions asked and answered during her brief visit, I would have to wait until the next time around. I thought perhaps I would just not ask the questions to avoid being a burden.

One of The Joint Commission’s 2009 National Patient Safety Goals mandates that hospitals "define and communicate the means for patients and their families to report concerns about safety and encourage them to do so." The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) emphasizes the effect that poor nurse-patient communication can have on patient safety, noting that "the [patient] can also be an important source of information about potential adverse effects and hazardous conditions."

In addition to increased patient safety, evidence links effective nurse-patient communication to improved patient satisfaction. In a recent Journal of Clinical Nursing study, researchers interviewed eight patients in a general teaching hospital about their experience interacting with nurses; a data analysis showed patients reported a lack of empathy and communication on the part of the nurses and concluded that "if healthcare management want to ensure that patients receive quality nursing care, they will need to consider patient-centered communication to be essential."

To achieve better patient care and satisfaction, nurses need to stop what they are doing, sit down in a chair next to their patients, and listen to what the patient has to say by:

• Showing interest in what the patient is saying by using good eye contact.
• Conducting a dialogue, not a monologue. Have a back-and-forth with patients; talk with them, not to them.
• Listening with his or her ears and showing interest and compassion with his or her eyes. Look at what the patient is saying.

Assess and improve

First, assess the current status of your communication. Ask yourself the following six questions:

1. Am I introducing myself at the beginning of the shift?
2. After I complete the patient assessment, do I ask whether the patient needs any assistance, something to drink, or any other miscellaneous items?
3. Do I tell the patient when I will return?
4. Do I stop everything when the patient is speaking to me?
5. Do I use good eye contact when speaking to or listening to the patient?
6. Do I sit down next to the patient at eye level when talking?

Next, use these interventions to promote improved nurse-patient communication:

• Take at least 10 minutes each shift to sit down next to your patients to discuss any questions related to their diagnoses, care, or plan of care. Talk about family, friends, children, and pets. Get to know your patients and their loved ones.
• Avoid physical gestures that may make the patient uncomfortable, such as eye-rolling, sighing, folding of arms, putting your hands on your hips, and chewing gum. Be respectful.

As nursing professionals, we should always consider the fact that the patient we are caring for is someone’s loved one. Treat those you care for with kindness and compassion and communicate with them in a manner that is therapeutic.

ReferencesMcCabe, C. "Nurse-patient communication: an exploration of patients’ experiences." Journal of Clinical Nursing 13 (1): 41-49.

The Joint Commission. 2009 National Patient Safety Goals. Retrieved from www.jointcommission.org.

Editor’s note: This article was adapted from The Staff Educator, an HCPro, Inc., publication.