Effective Communication in Nursing - Essay Example

Effective Communication in Nursing Introduction: Communication is an essential part of any business organization (Krizan et al, 2010, pp.6-8). In case of healthcare as well, effective communication in nursing holds importance because it enables nurses to build stronger affiliations with their organizations and with other colleagues they are working with. Leaders need to use and present their language and communications in a way that can have positive influence on the followers and hence result in positive performances. If there are significant communication problems, then it is obvious that effective leadership and management cannot be achieved within the nursing department, which is extremely essential for nurses to perform efficiently (Huber, 2013, pp.168-169). Background: It may be difficult to obtain effective communication in an organization when the organizational members come from different cultural backgrounds. This is applicable in case of nurses as well. Hence considering the nursing department, nurses are responsible of accepting different norms related to communication, trying to understand others and make sure that their communications are successful and effective on others. Nurses or the workforce in a healthcare organization constitute individuals from different backgrounds, which the management of the organization has to consider effectively to focus on involving them in effective communication (Lipe and Beasley, 2004, pp.149-150). If the healthcare organizations are observed, they are significantly complex in nature and the working environments are uncertain. Hence nurse leaders and managers have to play the role in which they can manage information and communication effectively such that healthcare services are coordinated avoiding any mishandling of patient care in any case, which is very crucial for any healthcare organization. Medical errors and safety of the patients are essential factors that healthcare organizations need to take care, and these are not possible to achieve unless effective communication is achieved among the healthcare workforce, and especially among the nurse leaders and managers whose role is vital in these aspects (Huber, 2013, p.169). Discussion: The importance of effective communication is associated with the achievement of goals and hence success for an organization. For a healthcare organization, in nursing, achieving effective communication is challenging owing to two major factors (Jones, 2007, pp.125-128): Firstly, nurses, nurse leaders and managers come from different cultural backgrounds having different beliefs and values, and hence without effective communication, messages cannot be delivered successfully, which may lead to failure of objectives. Secondly, situations in healthcare organizations are uncertain and critical as they are related with patient care, and hence measures need to be taken very carefully to avoid any negative impact on the patients or their families. The five principles that have been researched and obtained for effective communication in nursing leadership and management include: (1) Aiming for precision and focus; (2) Using straight and accurate language; (3) Encouraging feedback; (4) Acknowledging contributions made by the members; and (5) Making use of the most direct channels of communication available within the organization (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2009, p.75). These five principles can be said to be targeted towards the major roles that nurse leaders and managers have to deal with them, and hence the effective measures that they can consider ensuring effective communication in the organization. The arguments presented through these principles are that the easy and most available techniques should be made used for the purpose of communicating messages effectively and making the messages as much understandable as possible. Barriers in achieving these principles arise when the organizational members do not consider their responsibilities sincerely mostly because they do not realize what they are expected to do or achieve. Nurses are generally required to be informed about detailed information about the patients that they deal with. While this is essential, there are physical, psychological and semantic barriers to this issue. Physical barriers include too much of noise in the area and physical distance between the leaders and the members, hence making the communication ineffective. Psychological barriers include emotions, social values, cultural influences that affect messages to be communicated effectively. Semantic barriers arise when the meaning of the communicated messages is not clear to the receiver or there is a miscommunication and hence misunderstanding of the message. At times, gender related issues also create barriers in effective nursing communication (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2009, pp.75-76). Several researchers have been interested in this topic and have obtained that in healthcare organizations where nursing leadership and management have been associated and supported by effective communication, the services of the healthcare and nursing activities have been more effective and of high quality. Arguments are that if communications are ineffective and messages are not coordinated, then it results in adverse effects on the performances of the nurses. Such incidents may include failure in ordering the right tests of the patients at the right time, the accurate medications, or even test results being misplaced (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013, pp.141-142). It can however be said that in the present times, and in the near these barriers should be able to be removed with the increasing development of communication technologies and their uses that make it more convenient and effective for organizational and leadership communications to take place. Effective communication in nursing leadership and management is also essential to ensure that employee participation is effective and strong for services to be delivered successfully. It is believed that communications are effective when they are good communications. With effective communication, it becomes clear to the employees as to what the nursing leaders are communicating and about their intentions. The role of the supervisors is also essential in this regard ensuring greater openness in communication processes assisting the nursing management to promote faithfulness, truth and frankness in communications (Swansburg, 2002, p.369). Summary: The main factors that could be obtained from the above study include that effective communication is essential in nursing leadership and management to ensure that nursing performances are carried out with coordination and hence be able to offer high quality care services to patients, which is very crucial for healthcare organizations. Although there are physical, psychological and semantic barriers associated with communications in nursing, yet the use of most available techniques can make the process effective and successful. References Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and Nursing Care Management (Google eBook). Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences. Jones, R.A.P. (2007). Nursing Leadership and Management: Theories, Processes and Practice. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Kelly, P. and J. Tazbir (2013). Essentials of Nursing Leadership & Management. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Krizan, A.C. et al (2010). Business Communication. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Lipe, S.K. and S. Beasley (2004). Critical Thinking in Nursing: A Cognitive Skills Workbook. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Swansburg, R.J. (2002). Introduction to Management and Leadership for Nurse Managers. Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Whitehead, D.K., Weiss, S.A. and R.M. Tappen (2009). Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Read More