Initially, I already understood that it was important for nurses to communicate with patients to create a more favorable environment for recovery. Moreover, this was confirmed by many articles I studied and my personal experience communicating with medical staff. All of them proved that communication is necessary for nurses to ensure positive results in the treatment of patients and accelerate recovery. In Markus Engel’s book, he also describes his experience of patient care and explains the positive and negative communication patterns that can affect patients’ health. He showed by his example that compassionate interactions with patients are an essential tool for treatment. However, in many institutions, communication with patients is formal due to the high burden on nurses.
Marcus has an unpleasant interaction with many orderlies in the chapter “Introduce yourself, Regardless of Your Role” (Engel, 2010). In this chapter, many orderlies prepare Marcus for preoperative preparation, but none introduce him to them; instead, they start touching him and going about their business (Engel, 2010). Marcus is blind and cannot see what will happen to him. This makes him uncomfortable because he does not know who they are. The chapter “Unpleasant Wound” emphasizes how to communicate with patients. The nurse who cleans Marcus’ wounds calls them “terrible wounds that need to be treated” in this chapter (Engel, 2010). Marcus was uncomfortable when the nurse said the scars were ugly, as if it was his fault. Reading this book reinforced my beliefs about how nurses should interact with their patients. I have always believed that a nurse’s job is to build relationships with their patients so they feel at ease, trusted, and ready to help. The most important thing I learned from this book on communication is always to communicate who I am and what I am doing here, as well as to monitor how I formulate my thoughts.
Studying the Humanistic Psychosocial Concepts for Nursing course helps me understand that the patient needs to be looked at as a person, not as an anamnesis. Initially, although I understood that it was essential to communicate with patients, this was needed more in order not to miss the appearance of new symptoms or not to start the old ones. However, in learning, I realized that it is psychological and emotional communication with important people. It is essential to understand that illness and hospitalization can be terrible, traumatic experiences for patients. Upon admission to the hospital, there is a severe disruption of life in its routine, and now they must begin to perceive the hospital as their home as long as they remain there as patients. Listening to patients’ concerns, even if they seem insignificant in current exposure, can prevent more severe problems that could jeopardize patient safety.
Furthermore, in the future, I will go beyond the narrow medical aspect of treating diseases and strive to improve the effects of hospitalization stress on patients by providing appropriate communication, support, and empathy. This is also important for hospital staff because, in my opinion, when doctors communicate better with each other, coordination of care and compliance with the treatment regime improves. Interaction between medical team members affects the quality of working relationships and job satisfaction and impacts the patient’s sense of security. Effective communication between the patient and the nurse contributes to compliance with the treatment regimen and more active self-control of long-term chronic conditions.
Reference
Engel, M. (2010). I’m Here: Compassionate Communication in Patient Care. Orlando, FL: PhillipsPress.