Comparison of barriers to effective nurse-patient communication in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards

BACKGROUND

Communication is a basic need of humans. Identifying factors that prevent effective nurse-patient communication allows for the better implementation of necessary measures to modify barriers. This study aims to compare the barriers to effective nurse-patient communication from the perspectives of nurses and patients in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2022. The participants included 200 nurses (by stratified sampling method) and 200 patients (by systematic random sampling) referred to two conveniently selected hospitals in Shahroud, Iran. The inclusion criteria for nurses were considered having at least a bachelor's degree and a minimum literacy level for patients to complete the questionnaires. Data were collected by the demographic information form and questionnaire with 30 and 15 questions for nurses and patients, which contained similar questions to those for nurses, based on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analysis using descriptive indices and inferential statistics (Linear regression) in SPSS software version 18.

RESULTS

The high workload of nursing, excessive expectations of patients, and the difficulty of nursing work were identified by nurses as the main communication barriers. From the patients' viewpoints, the aggressiveness of nurses, the lack of facilities (welfare treatment), and the unsanitary conditions of their rooms were the main communication barriers. The regression model revealed that the mean score of barriers to communication among nurses would decrease to 0.48 for each unit of age increase. Additionally, the patient's residence explained 2.3% of the nurses' barriers to communication, meaning that native participants obtained a mean score of 2.83 units less than non-native nurses, and there was no statistically significant difference between the COVID and non-COVID wards.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the domain of job characteristics was identified by nurses as the major barrier, and patients emphasized factors that were in the domain of individual/social factors. There is a pressing need to pay attention to these barriers to eliminate them through necessary measures by nursing administrators.

Gender influences on caring, dignity and well-being in older person care: A systematic literature review and thematic synthesis

Globally, healthcare has become dominated by women nurses. Gender is also known to impact the way people are cared for in various healthcare systems. Considering gender from the perspective of how lived bodies are positioned through the structural relations of institutions and processes, this systematic review aims to explore the meaning of gender in the caring relationship between the nurse and the older person through a synthesis of available empirical data published from 1993 to 2022. CINAHL, PUBMED, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched from the beginning of each database's temporal range, and PRISMA guidelines were used for the screening, reviewing and selection processes of available records. A thematic synthesis of the available data resulted in three analytical themes: (i) vulnerability of the gendered body, (ii) norms and values related to gender and sexuality and (iii) balancing closeness and distance in the nurse-patient relationship. These themes are intertwined and represent different aspects of gender meaning in the nurse-patient relationship. This research shows that gender, through its influence on the gendered body, its relationship with power dynamics in the caring process, and its intersection with dimensions of identity, has a significant meaning for the experienced vulnerability in the nurse-patient relationship. This has implications for the well-being and sense of dignity of the older person as well as the nurse.

The effect of implementing the COMFORT communication model on communication skills of nursing students

BACKGROUND

Effective communication as a key component of palliative care requires sufficient knowledge and experience to make nursing interventions successful.

AIM

This quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the COMFORT communication model as an intervention to improve student nurses' communication skills while they are under clinical training in specialist palliative care inpatient units.

METHODS

The population sample included 86 student nurses who were randomly assigned into two groups of 40. The intervention group received training on communication skills using the COMFORT communication model. Nine lectures were delivered online or offline; the lectures lasted between 25 to 60 minutes. The control group received the conventional educational programme about communication with patients and families, according to the curriculum of the bachelor's degree in nursing. Data were collected using the Communication Skills Questionnaire and Communication Skills Attitude Scale and analysed using IBM® SPSS® Statistics 22.0.

RESULTS

The findings showed that, after the implementation of COMFORT communication model, there was a statistically significant difference in communication skills between the intervention group (122.95±9.36) and the control group (110.1±8.92). There was also a significant difference in attitudes toward communication skills between the intervention group (90.25±8.86) and the control group (90.85±9.15) (P=0.0001). The findings of the study revealed that the COMFORT Communication model created significant statistical differences in the student's attitude, knowledge and communication skills.

CONCLUSION

Novice nurses sometimes struggle with the level of communication skills needed when caring for patients with an end-stage illness. The implementation of the COMFORT communication model significantly improved communication skills and attitudes toward communication. Due to the need to establish effective communication as the core of nursing practice, the implementation of this training programme is recommended for students and qualified nurses, particularly when providing palliative care.

Investigating patients' attitudes toward receiving care from an opposite-gender nurse

BACKGROUND

The imbalance in nurse-to-patient ratio and limited physical space may lead to care provision by a nurse of the opposite gender. On the other hand, the relationship with the opposite gender in Iran is limited due to cultural and religious beliefs. The aim of this study was to investigate patients' attitudes toward receiving care from the opposite gender nurse.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 patients admitted to different hospital wards. The patients were recruited using convenience sampling. Data collection tools comprised of a demographic questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) and running descriptive statistics (i.e., χ² , independent t test, and linear regression analysis).

RESULTS

Male and female patients had 31.8% and 42.6% negative attitudes toward receiving care from the opposite gender, respectively, indicating a statistically significant difference (p = .05). Patients' attitudes had a significant and positive relationship with age, level of education, and experience of receiving care from a nurse of the opposite gender.

CONCLUSION

A significant percentage of patients had a negative attitude toward receiving care from the opposite-gender nurse. Since people's attitudes affect their relationships, it is necessary to provide conditions for assigning the same gender nurse for patients and improving patients' attitudes toward nurses of the opposite gender.

Promoting Effective Nurse-Patient Communication in Palliative Care Using the SAGE and THYME Model: Can it be Implemented Cross-Culturally?

Effective communication in palliative care is essential in making optimal health care decisions that align with the interests of the patients and empowering them to be involved in their care planning. However, many Asian nurses lacked the prerequisite communication skills required to assess and address the informational needs of advanced cancer patients. These nurses often adopt a routinized approach of giving information to patients to overcome their inadequacies in eliciting patients’ concerns. Thus, this opinion paper seeks to understand whether the SAGE and THYME model can be utilised widely by nurses across different cultural contexts to facilitate more effective communication and to develop therapeutic relationships with advanced cancer patients who are receiving palliative care.

Communication in palliative care: the applicability of the SAGE and THYME model in Singapore

BACKGROUND

Majority of the progress and development in palliative care in the last decade has been improvements in physical aspects of treatment, namely pain and symptom management. Psychosocial aspects of care have improved, although not enough to meet the needs of many patients and family members. This is evident in many parts of the world and notably in Singapore, where palliative care is seen as an emerging medical and nursing specialty.

AIM

To discuss the implementation of the SAGE and THYME communication model in a palliative care context. The article examines the use of the model and how its implementation can improve communication between patients and nurses. The model works by reviewing contemporary developments made in relation to improving communication in palliative care. These include, highlighting the importance of meeting individual needs, therapeutic relationship building, and advanced communication training within a Singaporean context.

RESULTS

The implementation of the SAGE and THYME model can be a useful way of enabling nurses to improve and maintain effective communication in a medically dominated health care system. The challenges and constraints in educating and training nurses with limited skills in palliative care, forms part of the review, including the cultural and attitude constraints specific to Singaporean palliative care.

Relation of Compassionate Competence to Burnout, Job Stress, Turnover Intention, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment for Oncology Nurses in Korea

BACKGROUND

Nursing focuses on the development of an empathic relationship between the nurse and the patients. Compassionate competence, in particular, is a very important trait for oncology nurses. The current study sought to determine the degree of compassionate competence in oncology nurses, as well as to determine the relationships between compassionate competence, burnout, job stress, turnover intention, degrees of job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in oncology nurses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A descriptive correlational study evaluating the relationships between compassionate competence, burnout, job stress, turnover intention, degrees of job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in 419 oncology nurses was conducted between January 30 and February 20, 2015.

RESULTS

The average score of compassionate competence for oncology nurses in the current study was higher than for clinical nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

The correlational analysis between compassionate competence and organizational commitment, burnout, job stress, turnover intention, and degree of job satisfaction revealed a high correlation between compassionate competence and positive job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

CONCLUSIONS

Compassionate competence was higher in oncology nurses than in nurses investigated in previous studies and positively correlated with work experience. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment in nurses may be improved through compassionate competence enhancement programs that employ a variety of experiences.

Optimizing Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Malaysia: The Current Global Initiatives, Gaps and Suggested Solutions

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Demand for health care service has significantly increased, while the quality of healthcare and patient safety has become national and international priorities. This paper aims to identify the gaps and the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia.

DESIGN

Review of the current literature. Highly cited articles were used as the basis to retrieve and review the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety. The country health plan of Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia and the MOH Malaysia Annual Reports were reviewed.

RESULTS

The MOH has set four strategies for optimizing quality and sustaining quality of life. The 10th Malaysia Health Plan promotes the theme "1 Care for 1 Malaysia" in order to sustain the quality of care. Despite of these efforts, the total number of complaints received by the medico-legal section of the MOH Malaysia is increasing. The current global initiatives indicted that quality performance generally belong to three main categories: patient; staffing; and working environment related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no single intervention for optimizing quality of care to maintain patient safety. Multidimensional efforts and interventions are recommended in order to optimize the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia.

Body language in health care: a contribution to nursing communication

OBJECTIVE

to classify body language used in nursing care, and propose "Body language in nursing care" as an analytical category for nursing communication.

METHOD

quantitative research with the systematic observation of 21:43 care situations, with 21 members representing the nursing teams of two hospitals. Empirical categories: sound, facial, eye and body expressions.

RESULTS

sound expressions emphasized laughter. Facial expressions communicated satisfaction and happiness. Eye contact with members stood out in visual expressions. The most frequent body expressions were head movements and indistinct touches.

CONCLUSION

nursing care team members use body language to establish rapport with patients, clarify their needs and plan care. The study classified body language characteristics of humanized care, which involves, in addition to technical, non-technical issues arising from nursing communication.

Exploring communication difficulties in pediatric hematology: oncology nurses

BACKGROUND

Communication plays an important role for the well being of patients, families and also health care professionals in cancer care. Conversely, ineffective communication may cause depression, increased anxiety, hopelessness and decreased of quality life for patients, families and also nurses.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore communication difficulties of pediatric hematology/oncology nurses with patients and their families, as well as their suggestions about communication difficulties.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

It was conducted in a pediatric hematology/oncology hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Qualitative data were collected by focus groups, with 21 pediatric hematology/oncology nursing staff from three groups. Content analysis was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Findings were grouped in three main categories. The first category concerned communication difficulties, assessing problems in responding to questions, ineffective communication and conflicts with the patient's families. The second was about the effects of communication difficulties on nurses and the last main category involved suggestions for empowering nurses with communication difficulties, the theme being related to institutional issues.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses experience communication difficulties with children and their families during long hospital stays. Communication difficulties particularly increase during crisis periods, like at the time of first diagnosis, relapse, the terminal stage or on days with special meaning such as holidays. The results obtained indicate that pediatric nurses and the child/family need to be supported, especially during crisis periods. Feeling of empowerment in communication will improve the quality of care by reducing the feelings of exhaustion and incompetence in nurses.