Communication in Nursing

987 Words4 Pages
The necessity for nurses to be able to communicate effectively is vital for the continued care of patients. More specifically, it is crucial that Nurses are able the change their language patterns and vocabulary, depending on the person they are talking to. The communications a nurse has with their patient is completely different to how a nurse would speak to a fellow Medical Officers (MO). There must be a strong, clear wording, instruction and diagnosis when talking to colleagues; otherwise there may be confusion as to the treatment of a patient. However, when speaking to a client, using jargon and medical terms can be considered as inappropriate and confusing for the people involved. When Patients come into a hospital, they are concerned with their health and they would want to know as much information as a nurse can give them. By using the correct language, and knowing how much information to divulge, a nurse can positively contribute to the care of their client. (Wright, Lorraine M.; Leahey, Maureen. 2009). In order to guide their patients to health, nurses must be able change medical lingo into everyday language. For example; instead of asking a patient if they have ‘voided’, he or she should be asking their client if they have passed urine. In most cases, finding the appropriate language to get the message across can be easily predicted. However, in some cases, Nurses have to re-ask a question in order to allow an understanding between them and the patient. For example, if a patient does not understand what ‘passing urine’ means, they would try a different sentence, such as “have you passed water today?” In some cases, communication cannot be limited to words, and rather a game of charades, for example; when speaking to a client who has English as a second language, it is sometimes best that hand gestures be used to demonstrate what it is you are asking,
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