Keiko Abe 1)2)
1) President, Japanese Association of Nursing Communication
2) Kinjo Gakuin University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Nursing
Keiko Abe 1), Kazuhiko Fujisaki 2)
1)Kinjo Gakuin University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Nursing
2) Medical Education Development Center, Gifu University
Kazuhiko Fujisaki
1) Medical Education Development Center, Gifu University
On the basis of interviews with nurses, nursing students, and simulated patients in many settings, this article discusses nursing communication within in the broader context of medical communication. The nursing education curriculum lists “communication skills” as a required outcome for nursing, public health nursing, and midwifery programs. In clinical nursing practice, communication skills are essential for information gathering at intake, as well as for nursing interventions addressing psychosocial issues. Communication is an embodied skill. It is not enough to know what to say in a given situation; the right words must come naturally when needed. In medical, dental, and pharmaceutical schools, communication skills training is provided through interactions with simulated patients, but such hands-on training is still lacking in nursing education. I have observed several issues in nursing students’ communication practices. 1) Students tend to focus on the patient’s current physical condition and immediate concerns, rather than listening openly to the patient’s entire illness narrative, which limits their understanding of the patient as a whole. 2) Students often stereotype patients, which leads them to ask only closed-ended questions based on preliminary assumptions. They quickly become discouraged when these assumptions fail. 3) A lack of basic relationship-building skill on the part of the nurse prevents the patient from proceeding to further assessment and intervention. 4) Finally, students often overestimate their ability to “relieve the patient’s anxiety,” not realizing that, at their level, simply listening to and empathizing with the patient’s anxiety is enough. This article also discusses common communication pitfalls encountered by health and social work professionals.
Keiko Abe
Kinjo Gakuin University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Nursing
Communication is an important clinical skill for nurses and forms the foundation of nursing practice. Communication education in nursing is predominantly skills based, education, emphasizing concepts like listening, empathy, and acceptance, which are essential components of effective nurse?patient communication. Skills-based communication training is beneficial for beginning students, but it does not develop nurses’ ability in advanced interpersonal relating, which requires understanding patients’ individuality. Furthermore, to ensure that nurses can communicate across generations, it is necessary to consider educational strategies based on an understanding of the characteristics of both the large population of elderly patients and Generation Z nursing students. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) recommends communication training utilizing simulated patients (SPs) and simulators to develop practical nursing skills. Experiential learning is useful for improving communication, and nursing interview training with elderly SPs lend realism to communication training. The four-year basic nursing education program should foster advanced communication skill by training students to understand the background of elderly SPs, taking their rich life experiences into account and communicating in ways that value their dignity.
Tomoko TAKAYAMA
Shizuoka Graduate University of Public Health, Graduate School of Public Health
Hospitals must collect information from patients to connect them with appropriate medical care and support. The responsibility for information collection does not lie with any one profession. Patients and their families often view reception staff and volunteers as approachable figures, to whom they can express their concerns and convey what they want to say to practitioners. As medical care has become more specialized and fragmented, new professional roles have emerged. Additionally, shorter hospital stays and the shift from inpatient to outpatient care have reduced opportunities for meaningful interactions between patients and clinical staff. Workstyle reforms, efforts aimed at achieving a society where people can choose from a variety of work styles according to their individual circumstances, are exacerbating this trend. Given these constraints, it is essential for all staff in healthcare facilities to actively engage with patients and collaborate to ensure timely and appropriate care. This paper presents the results of 2 surveys of multiple medical personnels, including administrative staff, at more than 29 medical institutions. The surveys aimed to collect patients’ questions and concerns. Based on the results, the paper examines the role of nursing communication within the broader network of professionals who support patients.
Naomi Sugimoto
Keio University
The Model Core Curricula for Nursing Education and corresponding curricula for medical, dental, and pharmacy education have been major driving forces behind communication training in those healthcare professions. However, the ways in which “communication” is defined in those curricula do not always align with concepts and principles recognized by communication researchers. Scholars in the field have voiced concern that students educated under such frameworks may be inadequately prepared to handle real-life communication challenges in professional practice. As one such concerned scholar, this author previously conducted a comparative analysis of how “communication” is described in the core curricula for nursing (2017), medical (2017), dental (2017) and pharmacy (2013) education. The results identified several instances where portrayals diverged from established communication theory (Sugimoto 2023). As a continuation of this line of research, this paper reports on an analysis of the latest editions of the model core curricula in these four healthcare disciplines. It examines underlying assumptions reflected in descriptions of communication and discuss their implications for communication education in the training of healthcare professionals.
Japan Association of Nursing Communication