Interpersonal competence and communication in the delivery of nursing care

Abstract

Despite the importance generally attributed to communication in nursing, little systematic attention has been directed toward exploring the interface between communication and the delivery of nursing care. The primary factors that have tended to impede research have been the inability of emerging models of nursing to conceptualize communication from an adequate perspective and level and the lack of theoretic exemplars for guiding specific lines of investigation. This article suggests that one potential exemplar for guiding nursing communication research lies in the area of interpersonal competence. It is suggested that research can be profitably aimed at understanding how the social cognitive and communicative abilities of nurses interrelate with the sociocultural context in health care to influence interpersonal competence.

Variables related to caregiver behaviors with cognitively impaired elders in institutional settings

“…Although the financial constraints of using professional nursing staff in long-term care settings are understood, professional staff could be used to guide care of elders presenting difficult care problems. The relationship between professional status and interactive behavior has been supported by at least one other study (Kasch, 1984); thus, the use of professional nursing staff needs to be considered in care. Given the relationship of knowledge of dementia to several caregiver behaviors, inservice education programs designed for all levels of nursing practice and focused on increasing the caregivers' understanding of the disease and its effects on the elder may facilitate positive caregiving behaviors.…”

“…They found that age was negatively correlated with empathic communication and that years in nursing service revealed a curvilinear relationship with empathy, with 1 to 5 years corresponding to the highest level of empathic communication. In a sample of outpatient dialysis nurses, Kasch (1984) found the ability to produce patient-centered messages was more positively related to the nurse's educational level and occupational status than to length of service.…”

Achieving therapeutic clarity in assisted personal body care: professional challenges in interactions with severely ill COPD patients

“…The dynamics of nurse–patient interactions at the bedside depend largely on the nurse's interpersonal competences and communicative skills (Kasch 1984, 1986 & Shattell 2004). When patients are severely ill their ability to assess and negotiate the agenda of nursing care is limited (Cahill 1998, Shattell 2004, Schoot et al.…”

The Client‐Nurse Relationship as Experienced by Public Health Nurses: Toward Better Collaboration

“…Communication consists in understanding both verbal and nonverbal messages; it is an ability to share experiences with others, which means that the timing of the message is also important for interaction. For the caring relationship to be successful, it is important not only that there is an awareness and shared understanding of the goals of nursing and that the relationship is based on interaction, but also that the professional nurse work continually to develop her skills of interaction (Bernstein & Bernstein, 1980;Bradley & Edinberg, 1982;Kasch, 1984;Leino-Kilpi, 1990).…”