WHAT IS COMMUNICATION

Communication is a ‘two way' process. When you communicate you perceive the other persons responses and react with your own thoughts and feelings. It is only by paying attention to the other person that you have any idea about what to say or do next.

When good communication is missing, health professionals can misunderstand or be ignorant of patients needs and expectations; furthermore patients may not understand their rights and the choices available to them.

You can probably think of many occasions when lack of communication has left you feeling angry or worried. When people are ill, vulnerable or coping with bereavement the effects of poor communication can result in more than minor irritation.

Every year the health service receives many complaints from patients about poor, or lack of, communication from the nurses and doctors.

“Everyone knows that a big part of nursing is about communication, there are more books on the shelf about communication than almost anything else. Everyone remembers something about active listening and body language and posture and everyone knows that stuff easily gets lost in busy clinical settings.

But, without the capacity to communicate – well, you are a rubbish nurse. That's it. You may think you are clever and have a diploma in nursing things, but if you cannot be understood by your patients, let them feel listened to or cared about, you are not doing your job.”