Chapter 8: Effective Communication

Vocabulary terms and definitions regarding communication processes, styles, strategies, and barriers in health care settings.

One-way communication

A form of communication used to give a command where there is no opportunity for feedback.

Two-way communication

The usual form of conversation where each person contributes equally and feedback is both expected and respected.

Essential Components Of The Communication Process

The five required elements consisting of the Source/sender, Message, Method of transmission, Receiver, and Feedback.

Verbal communication

A type of communication that uses the spoken or written word.

Nonverbal communication

Body language that may provide clues to patient discomfort even if the patient denies it verbally.

Affective communication

Communication involving feeling tone, mood, or emotion, where every thought has a physiologic response in the body.

Active listening

A communication strategy important for therapeutic communication involving behaviors like restating, clarifying, reflecting, paraphrasing, and validating.

Open-ended questions

Questions that permit the patient to respond in a way that is most meaningful to him or her, such as "What happened to your leg?"

Closed-ended questions

Questions that require a specific answer, such as "When did you first notice the pain?"

Focused questions

Questions that provide definitive information, such as rating pain on a scale of $1$ to $10$.

Blocks to Communication

Verbal and nonverbal behaviors that hinder communication, including false reassuring, probing, judging, belittling, giving advice, providing simple answers, and acting disinterested.

Nursing Jargon

Specialized language used by health care professionals that can act as a barrier or cause role changes for the patient.

SBAR

An acronym for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation, originally developed in the military to facilitate clear communication in health care institutions.

SBAR For The Shift Report

The use of the SBAR format when leaving a clinical unit or transferring a patient to another unit.

Conflict Resolution

The process of accepting conflict as a natural part of life and finding common ground by listening, learning, and discovering core issues.