Abstract
The given paper revolves around the most important aspects of therapeutic communication, its impact on relations with patients, their recovery, and the role a direct care nurse plays in the given process. One should realize the fact that good relations between nurses and patients are essential for successful outcomes of the care provided for every patient. For this reason, the paper is focused on the investigation of the way therapeutic communication might impact patient-nurse relations and its contribution to the success of the recovery process. Furthermore, the work also reveals the basic duties and competencies of a direct care nurse and the way this health worker should organize his/her functioning to become an efficient specialist and guarantee the delivery of high-quality nursing care to a patient. The paper contributes to the improved understanding of the given issue and improves the comprehension of the major concerns related to the topic.
Introduction
The process of a patients recovery is impacted by several significant factors, and the efficient and high-qualified delivery of health and nursing care should be considered one of the most important ones. Yet, its efficiency depends on the ability of a health worker to determine the basic needs of a patient and guarantee their fulfillment. For this reason, the comprehensive investigation of every case and collection of credible and relevant data is a crucial task for a nurse. Besides, it could not be accomplished in case specialist experiences a lack of communication skills. In this regard, therapeutic communication is an essential part of nursing competence. The given paper revolves around its main peculiarities and significant concerns.
Learning outcomes
Resting on the topic of the given paper it is possible to suggest the following expected learning outcomes
- Understanding of the meaning of the term therapeutic communication
- Improved comprehension of its most important aspects
- Realization of the main direct care nurses functions and the role he/she plays in the recovery process.
The given outcomes condition the structure of the paper and contribute to the acquisition of certain results.
Therapeutic communication
Therapeutic communication could be defined as communication strategies that support a patients feeling of well-being and are aimed at his/her further recovery (Techniques of therapeutic communication n.d.). It comes from the definition that appropriate communication patterns might contribute to the improvement of a patients quality of life significantly. In this regard, a nurse should possess the basic skills of therapeutic communication to be able to help a patient and guarantee his/her recovery. The modern nursing science provides numerous strategies which choice should be predetermined by the peculiarities of a certain case and patients main needs. However, their main aim remains the same. A nurse should establish direct contact with a patient to satisfy the basic needs and obtain the needed data (Kourkouta & Papathanasiou, 2014).
Important aspects of therapeutic communication
Nevertheless, several important aspects are peculiar to the issue of therapeutic communication. First of all, a nurse should consider the personal peculiarities of a patient, his/her unique demands, and desires. To realize them, a health worker should adhere to a strategy that is expected to provide the best outcomes and help establish contact. He/she should become an active listener who is attentive to what a patient is saying both verbally and non-verbally (Kourkouta & Papathanasiou, 2014). There are numerous signs that a patients body sends to a team of specialists who work with him/her, and they should understand them to provide the best possible care. Besides, a nurse should also be ready to share observations, empathy, feelings, humor, hope as it is also an integral part of therapeutic communication (Techniques of therapeutic communication n.d.). By acting in this very way, a specialist demonstrates his/her interest, support, and readiness to provide any kind of assistance for a patient to feel comfortable and recover. Clarification and provision of the important information also become important aspects of the intercourse between a nurse and patient as they contribute to the establishment of strong and trustworthy relations between a specialist and a patient which is crucial for the efficient delivery of nursing care.
Direct care nurses role
Besides, one should also realize the fact that a direct care nurse becomes one of the main actors of the process. This health worker is responsible for the provision of the care to an identified patient throughout the National Health Service. He/she is allowed to use all available facilities to guarantee a patients recovery and fulfill the basic needs that appear in the course of the recovery process. In this regard, the role of a direct care nurse could hardly be overestimated. This health worker serves as the provider of the most important procedures and practices. This specialist also helps a patient to realize his/her current status by sharing the important clinical information and highlighting the perspectives and expected outcomes of a certain treatment. There are complicated cases when a patient might suffer from pains or incurable disease. Under these conditions, a nurse should also be ready to share a patients feelings and help him/her to pass through this very stage.
Furthermore, a nurse might have a better opportunity than other health workers to communicate with patients families. For this reason, education is another important task which should be accomplished by this very specialist. It is for a direct care nurse to provide a patient and family with all significant information related to disease, its treatment, potential complications, and alterations of the daily regimen that could be needed in case of a chronic illness. This data might be crucial for a patients recovery as it contributes to the creation of the environment beneficial for the improvement of his/her state. Additionally, very often a direct care nurse might play a vital role in coordinating complex technologies and approaches that are now used in the healthcare sector. Medical records, participation in various therapies, and organization of referrals to other care providers are other crucial tasks that should be performed by a direct care nurse to help a patient to recover.
Conclusion
Altogether, one should realize the fact that therapeutic communication is an integral part of the functioning of any health worker. It provides him/her with important information that is needed to guarantee a patients recovery and delivery o the most efficient and high-quality nursing care. For this reason, a nurse should use various techniques to be ready to help and collect the needed data. Therefore, the role of a direct care nurse should also be emphasized. It is a health worker who organizes the delivery of care by basic patient’s needs and preferences. He/she could be considered a link between the health care sector and an individual who needs assistance.
References
Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Materia Sociomedica, 26(1), 65-67. Web.
Techniques of therapeutic communication. (n.d.). Web.