Providing high-quality service and establishing friendly relations with cancer patients is the ultimate goal for every nursing professional since it positively affects the working environment and the patient’s emotional state. Healthy communication culture facilitates empowering oncology nurses and their patients with life-threatening illnesses. After evaluating interactions between health professionals and cancer patients, the urge to provide holistic care instead of task-oriented care should be increased.
Although many professionals theoretically realize the importance of maintaining positive mental factors for patients through holistic care, others prefer to focus only on the symptoms of illness. Farzi et al. (2021) provided an ethnographic study covering nurses’ communication culture using qualitative methods based on more than 300 hours of observations and semi-structured interviews with eight professionals in Iran. Notably, the study observes this communication through cultural phenomenon, where nurses act as the subculture with their values affecting patients. The researchers conduct this study to prove the importance of effective communication between two parties since they realize that harmful patient-nurse communications result in patient’s distress.
Investigating the patient-nurse relationship begins by evaluating the nurse’s performance and involvement in care-related activities. Considering the focus of Farzi et al. (2021) research, the primary question is “How do nurses communicate with patients?” (p. 617). After careful observations, the authors conclude that nurses maintain experimental, gradual, and avoidant communication. Therefore, professionals neglect to improve their communication and feel empathy toward their patients since life-threatening illness serves as a psychological burden for them.
To conclude, this research urges the problem of inattention to patient-nurse interactions where both agents develop a negative attitude towards recovery. When nurses emotionally commit to the relationship with the patient by being empowered to communicate, it correlates with the positive experiences of their patients. Although oncology nursing is complex, considering the high workload and psychological burden, professionals should recognize non-physical dimensions of holistic care, providing patients with open and trustful communication.
Reference
Farzi, S., Taleghani, F., Yazdannik, A., & Esfahani, M. S. (2021). Communication culture in cancer nursing care: an ethnographic study. Supportive Care in Cancer: Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 30(1), 615–623. Web.