Therapeutic Communication

in Nursing Practice
Presented by: K. Hutchinson RN, BSN
(National Council of States Boards of Nursing Test Plans, 2016)
(National Council of States Boards of Nursing Test Plans, 2016)
Effective Communication in Nursing

What is communication?
How does it relate to nursing practice?
What is effective communication in
nursing?
What is considered therapeutic
communication in nursing practice?
 Therapeutic communication should be a two way process!
 It requires an understanding by the nurse of their patient
and the experiences they express.
 Nurse educators must acknowledge the importance of
therapeutic communication between nurses and their
patients, thus, incorporating it as another fundamental
skill set requiring emphasis throughout the education
process.
 Therapeutic Communication Strategies
and Examples
 Utilize open ended questions
 Focus on the patient’s feelings
 State behaviors observed
 Reflect, restate, rephrase verbalization of
patient
 Provide Neutral responses
 Barriers to Communication

 Nurses should be aware of common barriers, Why?

 Patient barriers include factors such as :
 Noise, Privacy, Lack of Control, Fear, Anxiety, Fear of judgement, mental
instability, seeking approval from others (Kourkouta &Papathanasiou, 2014).
 Health care professional barriers include factor such as:
 Lack of time or support, staff conflict, increased workload, fear and anxiety
related to causing the patient to be distressed by talking or responding to
questions, and/or the lack of skills or strategies for coping with difficult emotions,
reactions or questions (Kourkouta &Papathanasiou, 2014).
 Conclusive Thoughts

 Communication builds rapport and genuine positive relationships between the

nurse and patient.
 The nurse-patient relationship relies on on the effectiveness of
communication and understanding of one another.
 Skilled communication provides greater benefits to both the nurse and
patient.
 Two-way communication quite often leads to decreased negative conclusions
and attitudes towards one another (Neese, 2017).
 Education and on-the-job training often maximizes the impact of
communication skills (Neese, 2017).
References

 Hynnelli, L. (2014, July 06). Therapeutic and Non-Therapeutic

Communication. Retrieved August 15, 2017, from
http://nursingcrib.com/nursing-notes-reviewer/psychiatric-mental-health-
nursing/therapeutic-and-non-therapeutic-communication/
 National Council of States Boards of Nursing Test Plans. (2016). Retrieved
August 15, 2017, from https://www.ncsbn.org/testplans.htm
 Neese, B. (2017, February 22). Effective Communication in Nursing: Theory &
Best Practices. Retrieved August 15, 2017, from
http://online.seu.edu/effective-communication-in-nursing/
 Kourkouta L, Papathanasiou IV. Communication in Nursing Practice. Materia
Socio-Medica. 2014;26(1):65-67. doi:10.5455/msm.2014.26.65-67.