Nurses' and patients' perceptions of relational communication

• Main Author: Finch, Linda Phillips
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2002
• Subjects: Communication; Health education; Nurses; Nursing; Patients
• ISBN: 9780493564135; 0493564136

This research examined nurses' and patients' perceptions of relational communication within a nurse-patient context. In Study A, 100 patients reported how they wanted nurses to behavior toward them. Six behaviors labeled as Patients' Relational Preferences of Nurses, were caring, friendly, professional, empathy, competence, and listens. The relational communication dimensions (Burgoon & Hale, 1984, 1987) were not verified for use within a nurse-patient context. Rather, a single factor variable, called Relational Communication, emerged between patients and nurses. This variable was comprised of nurse behaviors that included being calm and reassuring, understanding, caring, trusting, and respectful. Patients reported that Relational Communication behaviors used by nurses positively influenced their compliance with nurses' health-related requests and satisfaction with the nurse-patient relationship. In a second study, 147 nurses validated the importance of Patients' Relational Preferences of Nurses agreeing that behaviors of caring, friendly, professional, empathy, competence, and listening were important ones to demonstrate with patients. Again, Burgoon and Hale's (1984, 1987) relational communication dimensions were tested with nurses but were not verified. Rather, two dimensions of relational communication emerged as meaningful to nurses—Caring and Composure. Nurses' satisfaction with nurse-patient communication was positively influenced by using Patients' Relational Preferences of Nurses, years of practice, and patient cooperativeness. Nurses reported using one strategy to influence patients toward compliance with health-related requests. In using this strategy, liking, nurses acted friendly and helpful toward patients to create a receptive frame of mind so that patients would be more amenable to comply. Upon comparison of the Patients' Relational Preferences of Nurses with the relational communication dimension used by nurses (Caring and Composure), caring, professional, empathy, and listens were common behaviors in both classifications. Friendly and competent (Patients' Relational Preferences of Nurses), and calm and reassuring (behaviors that describe nurse Composure) were unique to patients and nurses, respectively. The merging of these two relational classifications (Patients' Relational Preferences of Nurses with Dimensions of Nurses' Relational Communication—Caring and Composure) results in a new nurse-patient communication typology referred to as Preferred Nurse-Patient Relational Communication (PNPRC). Findings from these two studies have implications for both nursing practice and nursing education.