The Importance of Communication in Promoting the Therapeutic Relationship - Coursework Example

Topic: Explain the importance of communication in promoting the therapeutic relationship Affiliation: Course Title: Date: Nursing is a very sensitive profession, whose practice is highly based on ethics, codes of conduct, duty and responsibility. At the central point of nursing practices, there is a crucial relationship between nurses and the clients or the patients. This relationship is referred to as therapeutic relationship. This nurse-client relationship is highly dependent on communication as the two parties interact. Nurses are required to establish and maintain therapeutic relationship with their clients (Gaston & Mitchell, 2005, p. 2252-2264). In order to do so, they have to employ knowledge in nursing and skills in the same field in order to determine a healthy therapeutic relationship. The behaviours and attitudes of nurses in their caregiving duties and responsibilities highly influence the resultant relationship. It is important to highlight that therapeutic relationship is central to the client’s health and general welfare. I have realized this through my interaction with one of my medical ward patients. A number of factors have constituted my relationship with the patient, but the most important is communication. Communication played a fundamental role in building therapeutic relationship between the patient and me. This in return has enhanced definition and identification of the different users of therapeutic nursing. The role and importance of communication in promoting nurse-patient relationship is described in this paper. A number of factors have influenced my nurse-client relationship prior to my interaction with the patient and communication effectiveness therein. Vulnerability of my client required that trust be an integral component of the therapeutic relationship. Promises to either party were kept to avoid instances of mistrust. Confidentiality of the patient was an important therapeutic variable that I observed so that neither the patient’s nor my boundary was crossed. Our thoughts and opinions prior to this therapeutic relationship were diverse and dynamic. In this regard, mutual respect ensured that these two accounts were accounted for. On the same note, I understood the importance of showing empathy to my client. This way, the client felt cared for and the kind of actions that I took as the patient’s nurse greatly influenced the client’s quality of life, specifically in instances of health complications. Professional intimacy is another thing that built a favourable therapeutic relationship. Bringing the nurse and the client close to one another is integral to a beneficial nursing practice. However, regulating and controlling of use of power was essential in the process, given that my patient and I have unequal powers. Promoting positive and effective care for individual users of nursing practices is the central concern of nurses among other caregivers. Placement in the medical ward comes with prior experience of handling the elderly. This is a sensitive category in society whose needs are addressed with crucial diversity in order to meet their expectations. Building a strong and effective therapeutic relationship provided strong grounds upon which I achieved this objective. Communication was central to this relationship due to the fact that I had to constantly get in touch with the client for effective discharge of duties and responsibilities to ensure that I met the patient’s expectations, especially when it was time for my patient to take a bath. In building a therapeutic relationship that is tailored towards achieving its primary objectives, client-centred care becomes essential. Effective communication between the nurse and the client is the basis through which the nurse can ensure that the client’s therapeutic needs are met. Specifically, my placement in the medical ward has proven that different clients have different therapeutic needs. Addressing such needs calls for understanding each client differently from the others in order for each client to reap full benefits of the program. Effective communication is essential in making a therapeutic relationship materialize prior to what both the nurse and the client want to achieve. In other words, both the patient and I had a desired outcome to look forward to. In a bid to ensure effective communication that in return fostered nurse-client relationship within the required practice limits, my relationship with the client my relationship with the patient was non-judgmental and centrally focused to the client. Communication becomes effective when it encompasses a number of factors that aid the process of communication between and among a number of parties (Foster & Hawkins, 2005, p. 698-702). Time and place is an essential component of effective communication. To observe this, I would identify the most appropriate time of interaction with the client so that the client feels that the nurse is actually putting into consideration his needs during times interaction. Another integral factor of effective communication is active listening during the nurse-client interaction. My nurse-client interaction balanced nurse-client powers and allowed the client as much time as I had for myself. The client therefore felt equally important and his opinion given the same weight as mine. Mutual understanding was also fundamental in the therapeutic communication and relationship. This was enhanced by both of accepting each other. That is, the client accepted my service which I was willing and able to deliver. The purpose of the nurse-client interaction and the duration of the interaction were pre-determined in accordance to the client’s needs. Effective communication is however characterized by significant barriers. These barriers may hinder achievement of the desired results of therapeutic relationship. Such barriers result from language, gender, culture, motions, health status and level of development of the client (Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, 2002, p.63). Effective communication barrier in relation to language occurs where communicating parties fail to understand each other. Differences in use of words, phrases or vocabularies cause this ineffectiveness in communication. Culture determines different ways of personal expression. Where cultures bound to a therapeutic communication are different, problems of communication emerge. On the same note, gender differences make men and women vary in their communication styles. If such differences are not accounted for in a nurse-client interaction, the resultant relationship may not be as expected. Health status, emotions and development level of the client determines a client’s willingness to interact with the nurse, affecting communication between the two at that instance. My communication relationship with the client was mainly affected by culture, gender differences and the health status of the client. Skills, qualities and values of the carer highly determine the outcome of a therapeutic relationship, characterized by the mode, means and purpose of communication between the parties involved. In the medical ward, my patient took a bath at least once every day. Nurses were required to take care and help the patients do so. At one instance, during my duty to undertake the exercise, I forgot to take shampoo to the bathroom when my patient was to take a bath. As much as the shampoo was important for this exercise, evaluating the most important thing to do was important. Leaving the client all alone to go pick the shampoo would not be a rational thing to do. Although a feeling of failed responsibility was evident, the client was happy to know that I was committed to my duties and responsibilities. I had to engage the patient in a discussion to come up with a solution, given that the patient always enjoyed taking a bath on or off the medical ward bed. The patient was helpful in bringing to my attention that the shampoo was good and required in taking a bath, but it did not mean that a bath cannot be taken without the shampoo. I did not leave the patient to go pick the shampoo. Rather, a patient-based solution of taking the bath without the shampoo solved the issue. The experience only proved that every single material to a nursing practice ought to be prepared well ahead of time. Sense of failure of responsibility would have emerged if the patient demanded for shampoo and at the same time, I could not leave the patient alone in the bathroom. Both the patient and the shampoo were equally important at the time. Planning ahead of time ensures that every requirement to a nursing practice is essentially set in advance (McGilton, et al. 2003, p. 151-156). Therapeutic relationship that is strongly built enhances understanding between the nurses and the clients. This is the reason why the client contributed to providing a solution to a scenario that purely relied on my duty and responsibility. Communication in pursuit of supporting others is crucial in nursing practices and beyond. Individual communication skills may not be perfect in that pursuit, but personal and professional evaluation of communication basis is fundamental. Accountability in the line of duty and commitment to the client’s welfare, aided by a favourable therapeutic communication and relationship leads to achievement of desired outcome. Communication gaps from both the nurse and the client should be identified and countered prior to the client’s welfare, based on therapeutic relationship. References Foster, T, & Hawkins, J, (2005), Nurse-patient relationship, The therapeutic relationship: Dead merely impeded by technology? British Journal of Nursing, 14(13), 698-702. Gaston, C, N, & Mitchell, G, (2005), Information giving and decision-making in patients with advanced cancer: A systemic review, Social Science and Medicine, 61, 2252-2264. McGilton, et al. (2003), Effects of a relationship-enhancing program of care on outcomes, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 35(2), 151-156. Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, (2002), Nursing best practice guideline: Establishing Therapeutic Relationship, Toronto: Author. Read More