Nurse-patient

communication
True or False

The activity of nurses for e.g. Talking or

listening to the patients is as important as
care related procedures.

Communication is a core clinical skill

Persistence in training is necessary to

improve nurse’s communication skill and
patient satisfaction.
Barriers of communication & ways to overcome it
Goals of nurse-patient communication

Creating a positive, warm, and compassionate

patient experience

Creating meaningful patient engagement and

delivering patient education
BATHE Method - designed to only take 5mts

B=background What is going on in your life?

A=affect How do you feel about that?

T=trouble What about the situation troubles you the most?

H=handling How are you handling that?

E=empathy Closing statement: That must be difficult for you

or an appropriate alternative of a similar nature
Strengthen nurse-patient
communication with the “Social 10”

Sritharan, Sharlinee RN-BC et al : Nursing Management September 2016,

Volume :47 Number 9 , page 49 - 53
Communicating with
culturally diverse
patients
Principles of Effective Nurse-Patient
Communication
1. Always put the patients first

2. Practice active listening

3. Exercise Situational Awareness(OODA loop)

4. Talk with heart

Effective health
communication – A
vital component in the
care bundle for
COVID-19
 Humanitarian Crisis !!

• We used to look like this

• Now we look like this

• Where is the smile ?

• Where are the facial expressions ?

Physical Toll
 Social Barriers

• Stigma

• Fear

• Gullible

• Poorly informed
Identifying roles
 Situational Response
In high stress situations - people process
information differently

Messages need to be short, simple, and repeated.

Under stress, people focus on negatives more

than positives

Positive messages should outnumber negative

messages - 3:1
Eye contact
 TIP Think Do
Quick Tips to
Connect Be present How am I Make
feeling? Do I introductions.

CALMER know whom I am Explain role(s)

meeting?
• Check in Identify Do I know what Ask open-
Patient they expect? ended
• Ask about needs What question(s)
COVID assumptions am I
making?
• Lay out issues
Listen What are they Listen for both
• Motivate to talk saying (content)? content and
• Expect emotion What are they
feeling? emotion?
emotion Resist
interrupting.
• Record the Respond What did I hear, Name what
discussion provide both content and you heard.
empathy emotion? Validate
emotion
Share How can I be Tell information
information clear and in small bites
concise?
Psychological Toll
Practice Self Care (PTSD Pandemic !!)
• Have a routine

• Exercise

• Meditate/pray

• Indulge in Hobbies

• Stay connected

• Have a Healthy team

relationship
Roles of Nurse supervisor

Patient Care
Staffing
Orientation and Training
Administration and Policy Adherence
Nurturing Teamwork
Representing Employees
One-on-one (1:1) interactions
“We will never meet everyone’s expectations,
but the skill and effort we put in to our clinical
communication does make an indelible
impression on our patients, their families, and
their friends.

If we do it badly, they may never forgive us;

if we do it well, they may never forget us.”

Buckman 2002
Thank You