Therapeutic Communication Flashcards
Any means of exchanging information and feelings between two people
Communication
What two things does communication have?
- Sender
- Receiver
Supports quality, safety and enhances patient satisfaction
Good communication
Purpose of communication
- To influence others
- Obtain information
- Sender
- Receiver
- Message
- Feedback
- Channel
- Intrapersonal variables
- Environment
Communication Process
- Increases liability
- Threatens professional credibility
- Delays in health care delivery
- Medical errors
- Increased cost to the patient, facility, and society
Poor communication
- Social
- Structured
- Therapeutic
3 Kinds of Communication
- Used by “helping persons”
- To overcome stress
- To get along with others
- To adjust to unchangeable
- To overcome “psychological blocks”
Therapeutic Communication
Tone of voice
Rate of speech
Quality of voice
Volume of voice
Verbal content
Considerations in Communicating
“self-talk” – the communication that occurs within an individual
Intrapersonal communication
Interaction between two people or within a small group
Interpersonal communication
Interaction of one individual with large groups of people
Public communication
Values, attitudes, and beliefs Culture or religion Social status Gender Age or developmental level Environment
Conditions Affecting Communication
The deeper message within a message Personal appearance Posture and gait Facial expression Eye contact Gestures Territoriality and space
Non-verbal communication
- Intimate zone: 0-18 inches
- Personal zone 18 in – 4 feet
- Social zone: 4 – 12 feet
- Public zone: 12+ feet
Zone of Personal Space
Performing hygiene and assessment
0-18 inches
Intimate zone
-Sitting at patient’s bedside
-Taking a history
(18” - 4 feet)
Personal zone
-Receiving report
-Teaching a group
(4-12 feet)
Social zone
Speaking to groups
12+ feet
Public zone
- Emotional involvement with others alters relationship
- Objectivity can best be maintained with a professional distance
- Allows nurse to maintain a professional relationship
- Patients that want a more personal relationship – politely and truthfully direct the client to your role and redirect conversation to client needs
Maintaining a Professional Distance
Similarities of Helping vs. Social Relationships
Care, concern, trust, growth
Differences of Helping vs. Social Relationships
- Occurs due to client specific needs
- Unequal sharing of information
- Build on client needs, not nurse needs
- Professionalism by the nurse in appearance, demeanor, and behavior develop trust of the client
-Client’s goals are what the relationship is all about
Improved well-being and increased independence for the client
- Greater feelings of worth and improved health
- As client’s needs change the goals change
- The nurse may have needs, but these are to be set aside and the focus is on the client’s needs
Goals of the Nurse-Client Relationship
- Pre-interaction
- Orientation
- Working phase
- Termination
Phases of Therapeutic Relationship
- Obtain client information
- Examine own fears and feelings
Pre-interaction phase
- Establish trust and rapport
- Establish intervention
- Assess
Orientation phase
- Maintain
- Use problem solving
- Overcome resistance
- Continuous evaluation
- Longest phase of the relationship
Working phase
- Goals achieved
- Plan for continuity
- Feelings regarding termination explored
Termination phase
