Principles of Therapeutic and Interpersonal Communication

Question 1

Why is therapeutic communication important to nursing practice?

Answer 1

• Develops an understanding of the individuals experiences
• Demonstrates concern and interest
• Gives the opportunity to obtain a patient history
• Retrieves information needed for care
• Educates the patient on the care they are receiving

Question 2

What are the risks of under involvement and over involvement within a nurse-patient relationship

Answer 2

• Under involvement can lead to disinterested and neglectful care, caused by being tired and burnt out
• Over involvement can lead to boundary violations, caused by troubles letting go of nurse-patient relationships and blurring the lines between personal and professional

Question 3

What are closed ended questions?

Answer 3

• Usually yes or no questions

- Allows for quick, succinct answers to get quick bits of information

Question 4

What are open ended questions?

Answer 4

• Questions that allow the patient to disclose the information that they want to
• Allows complex answers with lots of information

Question 5

What is paraphrasing?

Answer 5

• Summarise and clarify the thinking of the patient
• Ensures that what the patient said was correct
• Relaying the key points to the patient to make the points really clear

Question 6

What are leading questions?

Answer 6

• Steers the conversation in the correct direction to get the information that you need
• Be careful to not use leading questions to disempower the patient

Question 7

What is medical jargon?

Answer 7

• Abbreviations for health care related things & illnesses (e.g., acute - a condition that comes on suddenly)
• Best for talking to other professionals, talking to patients require more simplistic terms that they will understand and comprehend

Question 8

Explain eye contact/gaze.

Answer 8

• Not too direct or too shifty
• Trying not to make the other person feel uncomfortable
• Must be culturally appropriate

Question 9

Why is appearance and posture important?

Answer 9

• Appearance must be clean, tidy and professional
• Posture must be good and not off putting
• Appearance and posture is key in first impression and how the patient will perceive your professional identity

Question 10

Why are sounds used to support the patient?

Answer 10

• Agreeing with the patient and acknowledging you’re understanding without being verbal
• Too many sounds may lead to awkwardness/uncomfortableness

Question 11

What are touch and gestures in a nurse-patient relationship?

Answer 11

• Culturally bound
• Must gain consent
• Communicates reassurance, compassion, respect and trust in the therapeutic relationship
• The number of gestures vary person to person
• Adds another dimension to the conversation

Question 12

Why is active listening important?

Answer 12

• Can listen and validate understanding through paraphrasing
• One of the most important things we do as nurses
• Face the person, open posture, leaning forward, eye contact, relaxed

Question 13

What is assertiveness?

Answer 13

• Communicating with others in a direct and honest manner without hurting anyone’s feelings
• Direct communication can reduce conflict and enhance self-confidence and relationships
• Making ‘I’ statements (e.g., I think we should consult the doctor)

Question 14

Why is silence important?

Answer 14

• Sometimes patients need silence to put together ideas and events of what has occurred
• Simply being with the patient
• Silence can be very intense and draining

Question 15

What is empathy?

Answer 15

• Perceiving the world from another’s perspective
• Don’t lose any sense of self and your own experiences when being empathetic
• Understanding concerns and distress of patients

Question 16

What influence does development have on communication?

Answer 16

• Language, psychosocial and intellectual development are significant within how people communicate
• Where the patient is in their lifespan also influences how you communicate

Question 17

What influence does gender have on communication?

Answer 17

• Females tend to seek confirmation, intimacy and minimising differences
• Males value social interaction and independence
• You must not stereotype by gender when communicating

Question 18

What influence do values and perceptions have on communication?

Answer 18

• Values influence behaviour and interaction
• Each person’s values and perception are different
• People may possess different barriers to communication

Question 19

What influence does culture have on communication?

Answer 19

• Culture can teach how to communicate and boundaries that others may be unaware of
• Must be respectful of patient’s culture and practice culturally safe care

Question 20

What influence does personal space have on communication?

Answer 20

• Varies depending on personal preference

- Distance zones include intimate, personal, social and public

Question 21

What influence does environment have on communication?

Answer 21

• Building successful patient-nurse relationship begins with a safe, comfortable environment
• Busy environments can distort and impair communication

Question 22

What is congruence?

Answer 22

• Making sure verbal and non-verbal communication are coherent with one another
• If they are not connected, miscommunication occurs regarding the message the nurse is portraying

Question 23

What is intrapersonal communication?

Answer 23

• Represents the importance of knowing and understanding yourself

Question 24

What is interpersonal communication?

Answer 24

• Represents how we relate to other people

Question 25

What are the four phases of therapeutic relationship?

Answer 25

1. Pre-interaction phase
2. Introductory phase
3. Working phase
4. Termination phase

Question 26

What is adaptability?

Answer 26

• Being sensitive and adaptive to the client’s mood

- Spoken messages altered in accordance with behavioural cues