Using the article below, In 500 words, write a critical article review stating what is the , What is the problem , Why the topic is important, What was done to try to solve the problem and What recommendations would you make.

NURSING PRACTICE

Good communication helps to build a therapeutic relationship

Building relationships is central to nursing work and communication skills can be improved by avoiding jargon and ensuring patients are not labelled, says Sarah Collins.

The importance of communication in health care hit the headlines at the British Medical Associations annual consultants conference earlier this month. Jargon, said the doctors, could harm patients care. The following anecdote from my own experience illustrates the dangers of poor communication. John*, a man in his 30s, is in bed on a coronary surgery ward. Older men occupy the other beds. It is Christmas Day. The nurses are having a party; their office door opens in snaps of laughter. The man in the bed next to him has no visitors. John wonders if hed like to play cards, but the nurses have not offered to play. Johns mouth has been fixed in a tight line since his family came bearing presents; he cannot smile for fear of crying. The man opposite appears distressed and is calling out, but the nurses avoid him and, when John points out that he wants someone, a nurse replies: Hes just demented.

Patients experiences are influenced by how care is delivered. Through communication, a patient can: be reassured; be taken seriously; understand their illness more fully; voice their concerns; feel empowered; be motivated to follow a medication regimen; express a desire to have treatment (or not); and be given time and treated with respect. Communication is therapeutic. Building relationships is the cornerstone of nursing work, particularly with patients with learning disabilities; communication is a prerequisite to that process. It can also be life saving. If a patient is informed about what symptoms to mention, a cancer is more likely to be diagnosed and treated in time.

Nurses have the most contact with patients, doing connecting work that complements doctors consultations. Nurses provide the glue escorting a patient into the consulting room; identifying with challenges in adhering to lifestyle changes by reporting their own experience; allowing patients to disclose concerns not shared with doctors; being chatty; sharing a joke; and providing explanations where doctors communication has failed.

The following example from my research, where a nurse spoke about communication, illustrates this last point about doctors: I watch my patients in a ward round, and they sit there and go: Yes doctor, no doctor, yes doctor, and then I make a point of going and saying: Have you understood? No, I didnt understand a word of that, nurse, Im really worried, and the whole story comes out. Nurturing these qualities requires understanding of the essential ingredients of communication. Making meaningful use of communication skills demands appreciation of the contexts in which skills are enacted in practice, to be able to translate them. Environments are challenging a busy hospital ward, a crowded waiting room, a lounge with the television constantly on. Language can be a barrier labels attached to individuals such as just demented crystallise judgemental attitudes, standing in the way of getting to know patients.

How can nurses improve their communication, and maintain its effectiveness? Jargon needs to be acknowledged, so that it can be avoided or, where it is necessary, explained to patients. Discussions with colleagues help to alleviate jargon, and allow barriers to communication to be viewed and addressed. Most of all, talking with patients, for the sake of conversation and company, aids well-being and recovery.