The Art of Communication in Nursing and Health Care : An Interdisciplinary Approach

__A handy guide to tackling difficult patient and professional interactions with confidence and compassion__ In this age of increasing reliance on technology, it is essential that the fundamentals of compassion and good communication—the art of patient care—remain at the heart of health care. This clear, concise guide to professional communication strategies helps nurses and other health care clinicians to build effective patient relationships and navigate a wide variety of difficult patient and professional interactions. Written by a practicing psychotherapist who has devoted nearly 30 years of study to clinician—patient relationships, the book tackles such complex issues as dealing with demanding patients, maintaining professional boundaries, overcoming biases and stereotypes, managing clinician emotions, communicating bad news, challenging a colleague’s clinical opinion, and other common scenarios. The book guides the reader through a conceptual framework for building effective relationships that is based on the principles of mindfulness. These principles are embedded in discussions of the fundamental elements of interpersonal effectiveness, such as hope, empathy, and listening. Chapters apply mindfulness principles to specific challenging situations with concrete examples that describe effective clinical behaviors as well as situations depicting pitfalls that may impede compassionate care. From a focus on everyday manners in difficult situations to beneficial approaches with challenging populations, the guide helps health care professionals confidently resolve common problems. Brief, to-the-point chapters help clinicians channel their clinical knowledge and good intentions into caring behaviors that allow the patient to more fully experience empathy and compassion. With the guiding theme of “using words as precision instruments,” this is a resource that will be referred to again and again. Key Features: • Helps health care professionals and nurses communicate effectively in challenging clinical and professional situations • Uses the principles of mindfulness to build satisfying relationships and resolve problems • Addresses such difficult issues as demanding patients, maintaining boundaries, overcoming biases, managing clinician emotions, and much more • Provides special tips for communicating with family members and caregivers • Authored by a practicing psychotherapist specializing in clinician—patient relationships for nearly 30 years

A handy guide to tackling difficult patient and professional interactions with confidence and compassion

In this age of increasing reliance on technology, it is essential that the fundamentals of compassion and good communication—the art of patient care—remain at the heart of health care. This clear, concise guide to professional communication strategies helps nurses and other health care clinicians to build effective patient relationships and navigate a wide variety of difficult patient and professional interactions. Written by a practicing psychotherapist who has devoted nearly 30 years of study to clinician—patient relationships, the book tackles such complex issues as dealing with demanding patients, maintaining professional boundaries, overcoming biases and stereotypes, managing clinician emotions, communicating bad news, challenging a colleague’s clinical opinion, and other common scenarios.

The book guides the reader through a conceptual framework for building effective relationships that is based on the principles of mindfulness. These principles are embedded in discussions of the fundamental elements of interpersonal effectiveness, such as hope, empathy, and listening. Chapters apply mindfulness principles to specific challenging situations with concrete examples that describe effective clinical behaviors as well as situations depicting pitfalls that may impede compassionate care. From a focus on everyday manners in difficult situations to beneficial approaches with challenging populations, the guide helps health care professionals confidently resolve common problems. Brief, to-the-point chapters help clinicians channel their clinical knowledge and good intentions into caring behaviors that allow the patient to more fully experience empathy and compassion. With the guiding theme of “using words as precision instruments,” this is a resource that will be referred to again and again.

Key Features:

• Helps health care professionals and nurses communicate effectively in challenging clinical and professional situations

• Uses the principles of mindfulness to build satisfying relationships and resolve problems

• Addresses such difficult issues as demanding patients, maintaining boundaries, overcoming biases, managing clinician emotions, and much more

• Provides special tips for communicating with family members and caregivers

• Authored by a practicing psychotherapist specializing in clinician—patient relationships for nearly 30 years

Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Preface 10 Share The Art of Communication in Nursing and Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Approach 14 Section I: Good Communication Skills: The Foundations 15 Chapter 1: Encounters 15 The Power of Positive Regard 21 Case 22 References 24 Chapter 2: Mindfulness 25 Mindfulness Described 25 Mindfulness and Health Care 26 Mindfulness and Information Processing 26 Clinical Example 29 Mindful Identification and Self-Correction 31 Domains of Mindfulness 33 Domains of Mind in Action 36 Health Care Example 38 The Mindfulness Process 41 Skill Application 44 Example: Electronic Medical Record Systems 47 Distress Tolerance 48 In Summary 49 Review: Helpful Hints in the Practice of Mindfulness 49 References 50 Chapter 3: Empathy 53 Importance of Empathy in Patient Care 53 Empathy Defined 54 Clinical Example 56 Application of Mindfulness 57 Empathy and Mindfulness 60 References 61 Chapter 4: Listening 63 The Mindfulness of Listening 65 The Basics 68 Dual Awareness 68 Clinical Example 69 Reference 72 Chapter 5: Words 73 Therapeutic and Nontherapeutic Communication 77 Reference 81 Section II: Navigating Professional Communication Challenges 83 Chapter 6: Patients’ Emotions 83 Fear 85 Grief 86 Sadness 86 Frustration 87 Anger 87 Hopelessness 88 Chapter 7: Time 91 Chapter 8: Boundaries 97 Clinical Example 1 99 Clinical Example 2 102 Mindfulness 104 Clinical Example 3 107 Chapter 9: Biases 111 Clinical Example 115 References 118 Chapter 10: Clinician Emotions 119 Section III: Everyday Manners in Difficult Clinical Situations 125 Chapter 11: Mistakes and Apologies 125 References 130 Chapter 12: Hope and Bad News 131 Reference 141 Chapter 13: Grief 143 Chapter 14: Expressing Condolences 147 References 150 Chapter 15: Disgust 151 Section IV: Effective Approaches in Challenging Populations 155 Chapter 16: Difficult Encounters 155 Clinical Example 156 Chapter 17: Somatic Complaints 163 Clinical Example 165 Chapter 18: Clinician Conflict 171 Chapter 19: Substance Abuse 181 Clinical Example 182 Clinical Scenario 187 Practice Considerations 189 Questions 189 Section V: Afterword 191 Chapter 20: Cultivating Mindfulness 191 Measuring Mindfulness 193 Mindful Activities and Practices 193 References 195 Index 197 "A handy guide to tackling difficult patient and professional interactions with confidence and compassion. In this age of increasing reliance on technology, it is essential that the fundamentals of compassionate care and good communication remain at the heart of health care. This clear, concise guide to professional communication strategies helps nurses and other health care clinicians to navigate a wide variety of difficult patient and professional interactions. The book tackles such complex issues as dealing with demanding patients, maintaining professional boundaries, overcoming biases and stereotypes, managing clinician emotions, communicating bad news, challenging a colleague's clinical opinion, and other common situations. The book is organized for easy access to each situation and includes a description of the problem, guidelines for addressing it, and tips for communicating effectively with patients and family members alike. Brief, to-the-point chapters help clinicians channel their clinical knowledge and good intentions into caring behaviors that allow the patient to more fully experience empathy and compassion. Based in principles of mindfulness and critical thinking, this is a resource that will be referred to again and again"--Provided by publisher