Basic Communication

  • Communication: process of exchanging messages


  • Verbal Communication: use of language and words

Goals for verbal communication in a health care setting:

  1. establish rapport

  2. get information from patients

  3. confirm understanding

  4. relay information to other health care workers

  5. give instructions to patients


Emotions that can be relayed through tone of voice: sadness, cheerfulness, anger, boredom, fear, confidence, calmness, agitation


  • Lay terms: everyday language that patients can understand

  • Therapeutic communication: patient-centered communication in which the patient is looked at as a person (empath) → improves patient communication and improves health conditions


Benefits of written communication

  1. allows the writer time to research and to organize thoughts

  2. patients have time to think before sending a response

  • be accurate and clear, free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, use appropriate vocabulary


What is written communication used for?

  1. messages and orders

  2. test results

  3. notes in patient charts

  4. informed consent documents

  5. procedures and policies

  6. patient education material

  7. surveys

  8. letters and memos


  • memos: used for internal communication within an organization (ex. a physician and a nurse)

Standard parts of a memo

  1. To:

  2. From:

  3. Date:

  4. Subject:

  5. Body:


Methods of Nonverbal Communication

  1. eye contact

  2. facial expressions

  3. gestures/body language

  4. physical appearance

  5. touch

  6. proximity


Feelings that facial expressions can convey: happiness, anxiety anger calmness

  • Direct eye contact sends a powerful and positive message’


examples of body language

  1. posture

  2. crossing arms

  3. facial expression

  4. grimacing


  • Proximity: distance between people (heigh, odor)

  • sensitivity and professionalism


  • Sender: person who gives the information

  • Receiver: person who accepts the message

  • Message: information being communicated

  • Frame of reference: receiver’s point of view

  • Feedback: response from receiver


  • culture = values, beliefs, and customs


5 W’s of an email

  1. Who

  2. What

  3. Why

  4. When

  5. Where


SOAP

  • S: Subject (symptoms form patient experiences → pain, shortness of breath)

  • O: objective (signs I see/observe → redness, respiratory rate, high BPM)

  • A: Assessment

  • P: Plan

  • E: Evaluation


  • Restatement: repeating something to patient in different words

  • Reflection: repeating with empathy

  • Clarification: receiver asks questions for better explanations/clear up any confusion