Written communication helps document suggestions for patient care.
The nursing line of work relies strongly on verbal communication to transmit information from nurse to patient, from nurse to nurse, from nurse to friends or family members, and from nurse to other health care provider. Because changes sometimes take place rapidly in health care environments, including nursing, verbal communication becomes an efficient way to articulate crucial messages or transmit data.
Spoken
The nursing line of work can involve spoken communication. Conversations taking place between nurses and patients can address questions the patient might have, provide instructions about proper care or medication and include small talk to help out patients at ease. Nurses may use spoken verbal communication with each other to exchange information about patients during shift changes or transmit doctors' orders. Spoken communication is used between nurses and family members to provide patient updates, answer questions about home care and address concerns about patient status. Nurses rely on spoken communication to update other health care professionals, such as radiologists, physicians or pharmacists about patient needs.
Written
Written communication is a second crucial component of verbal communication. Although spoken conversations facilitate the rapid exchange of information, health care environments rely on written communication to provide documentation about processes completed, patient allergies, times for medication administration and other factors affecting patient care. Written communication about patient status also serves as protection should legal or ethical questions arise about lapses in patient care; nurses can document meals, bowel movements, medications and other data so that all details are appropriately accounted for.
Other Types
Nurses don't just rely on verbal communication in their line of work. Non-verbal communication is another key tool. This can include eye contact, tone of voice, posture and hand gestures including touching someone's shoulder or hand. These non-verbal tools can help establish authority, build rapport or authenticate verbal statements. Listening is another communication tool. Through active listening, nurses gather vital information about patient needs, address patient concerns and receive updates from other health professionals.
Advantages
In some respects, verbal communication has advantages over non-verbal communication and listening. Verbal communication is more precise; non-verbal communication relies on subtle cultural clues that could lose meaning when used with patients or families of different backgrounds. Not all patients or doctors may respond well to physical touch; some may find it uncomfortable, presumptuous or condescending. Although listening is an efficient way to learn new information, it's not an effective way to transmit information to others. For this task, verbal communication is the most efficient tool.
Challenges
There are challenges to using verbal communication in nursing, however. Not all patients or patient families may speak the same language. Nurses may misread unclear written directives, resulting in mistakes in patient care. Word choice may alienate or frighten patients; for example, a patient might interpret a nurse's statement that a test will be administered "to rule out cancer" as a cancer diagnosis. Nurses should choose words carefully, explaining unfamiliar terms to patients. When speaking with colleagues, nurses should refrain from coloring information with their personal bias or experiences.
