Introduction
Corporation communication is the interaction of people, which is subordinated to solving a particular problem. The strategy and tactics of professional communication are the use of specific techniques aimed at organizing the joint activity of individuals within the framework of interpersonal communication (Ratna, 2019). In nursing, communication is one of the primary factors influencing the work of the team and patients. Therefore, in case of conflict situations, it is essential to solve them effectively in order to avoid an absence of coordination in the team. The problem of changing documentation is common in nursing practice and has negative consequences for their work (Pitsillidou et al., 2018). Hence, it is imperative to identify effective communication strategies to prevent conflicts related to changes in nursing documentation.
Identification of the Problem
The specifics of a nurse’s job depend on many factors, including administration and documentation systems. Nurses encounter documentation in all parts of their work, such as administering barcodes to insert medications safely. When a patient is initially admitted, the nurse needs to ask typical questions about past medical history, even if data is provided (Brown et al., 2020). However, during care, nurses and physicians ask the same questions again, according to the documentation. It is also worth noting that many forms of record are repetitive. Thus, nurses frequently sort information by date and have separate paper boxes to find updated and relevant patient data. The high volume of documentation and its frequent changes results in patients becoming exhausted from completing such forms (Brown et al., 2020). This is additional work for nurses, especially when documentation changes and new forms and documents need to be submitted. This negatively affects the quality of services provided and causes frequent medical errors and staff fatigue.
The Strategies of Effective Communication
A precondition for the effectiveness of professional communication is the ability to listen. The listening is the perception, comprehension, and understanding of the speaker’s speech (Ratna, 2019). It is essential to emphasize that to reduce the burden on the nurse and the number of inquiries to patients, and it is necessary to use reflexive listening. It consists of actively intervening in the speech of the interlocutor, developing favorable conditions for communication, and ensuring that the interlocutors understand each other correctly and clearly (Ratna, 2019). This way, I can use it to immediately clarify basic information about the patient’s health without bothering them with additional questions. As a consequence, this will prevent the patient from becoming irritable, which can cause a conflict situation (Ratna, 2019). Moreover, it will decrease the amount of work for the nurse.
Consequently, patients will not feel that they are not being listened to and are continuously being asked similar questions. At the same time, in order to ensure reliable communication with patients, it should be explained to them that medical records contain many different forms to establish accurate data about their health status. Patients will then be sympathetic to nurses constantly communicating with them and asking about similar issues (Ratna, 2019). This method would prevent me from feeling intrusive, and patients would be notified of their benefits. As a result, it will not create conflicts but rather cooperate to enhance patient health.
Nonetheless, if there is a clear conflict situation with management, accommodation can be applied as a way of behavior in the conflict. This approach is characterized by nurses being willing to compromise with their opponents to avoid confrontation. In the case where the subject of the conflict is not of particular importance, the principal is to maintain a constructive interaction (Pitsillidou et al., 2018). However, once the tension has subsided, it is crucial to explain to management the inappropriateness of new documentation constructively and to provide sufficient arguments. Nevertheless, an integral part of effective communication is the ability to listen to counterarguments in order to find a compromise (Tran, 2021). As a consequence, this will avoid conflict and explain in a calm atmosphere the problems faced by nurses. This strategy is productive when conflicts must be managed to prevent them from escalating.
Compromise involves satisfying the interests of all parties to a conflict interaction, which is essentially fair. It is essential to remember that in situations with documentation, this strategy should be considered only as an intermediate step (Pitsillidou et al., 2018). After that, a general meeting of nurses should be conducted to discuss strategies for a more rational solution, with one hundred percent pleasure to the conflicting parties. Collaboration is focused primarily on understanding the opposing position, paying attention to the opponent’s perspective, and finding a mutually satisfactory solution (Pitsillidou et al., 2018). This approach can achieve mutual respect, understanding, and trust, which best contributes to developing long-term, strong, and stable relationships. In this way, a collaborative strategy will enable changes in documents to be reviewed and their appropriateness to be assessed.
It is significant to indicate that creating a favorable psychological climate can help prevent problematic situations from escalating to conflicts. A third of all staff who quit cite complicated team relationships as the reason for their decision (Mohamed & Gaballah, 2018, p. 191). Thus, communication among nurses can contribute to discussing experiences with patients and managing conflict situations. For example, I would exchange ideas with my colleagues if I systematized new forms and documentation to make it easier for patients to complete them and minimize my involvement. That way, nurses will understand that the issue is common to all and that effective communication avoids conflicts (Tran, 2021). As a consequence, it will promote teamwork and permit common strategies.
Conclusion
Therefore, nurses feel they are asking compulsive questions of patients due to the fact that documentation is changing. This is because they receive new forms that also need to be completed. In order to avoid conflicts with patients who answer the same questions multiple times, it is essential to explain to them the importance of this to their health. At the same time, reflective listening will allow nurses to synthesize information better. It is significant to note that if there are conflicts with management, it is necessary to explain the problems that the new rules create in the nurses’ work and to listen to the counterarguments. This will enable a compromise to be found to resolve the issue temporarily. Afterward, collaborating to find strategies to avoid such problems in the future is crucial. Effective team communication is another method of exchanging information for productive work. Thus, the challenge of documentation changes creating extra work for nurses and making them feel redundant is solved through effective communication and conflict management. The techniques mentioned above will mitigate the risk of conflict.
References
Brown, J. A., Cooper, A. L., & Albrecht, M. A. (2020). Development and content validation of the burden of documentation for nurses and midwives (BurDoNsaM) survey.Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(5), 1273-1281. Web.
Mohamed, H. A., & Gaballah, S. (2018). Study of the relationship between organizational climate and nurses’ performance: A university hospital case.American Journal of Nursing Research, 6(4), 191-197. Web.
Pitsillidou, M., Farmakas, A., Noula, M., & Roupa, Z. (2018). Conflict management among health professionals in hospitals of Cyprus.Journal of Nursing Management, 26(8), 953-960. Web.
Ratna, H. (2019). The importance of effective communication in healthcare practice.Harvard Public Health Review, 23, 1-6. Web.
Tran, B. Q. (2021). Strategies for effective patient care: Integrating quality communication with the patient‐centered approach.Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 15(1), e12574. Web.