Chapter 10 And 12 Study Guide Flashcards
(102 cards)
What are the seven steps of the communication process?
-Sender
-Message
-Encoding
-Channel
-Decoding
-Receiver
-Feedback loop
What is the sender?
-Relaying message to somebody
-Ensure you are sending the right message
-The community health nurse who is serving as the sender has the most control over the sender, the message, and the channel
What is the message?
-Whatever you are trying to relay to another person
-Ensure that the message is clear
What is encoding?
-The way the sender decides which specific signals or codes you are going to use
-Can use language, words, gestures, and body language
-Relates to how it is determined how that message is getting across
What is the channel?
-The way that the message is being delivered
-Can be verbal or nonverbal communication, social networking, or email
What is decoding?
The receiver’s interpretation of the message
What is the receiver?
-The person that is hearing the message
-Sender has no control over the receiver, decoding the message, the way the receiver interprets the message
What is the feedback loop?
-Way the sender and the receiver checks on the success of the transference of the meaning of the message
-If there was any miscommunication there, go back, renegotiate the message to allow for clarity (how can the receiver get it better-may have to reword what was said)
What are the barriers to effective communication?
-Selective perception
-Filtering
-Emotional influence
-Language barriers
-Language of nursing
What is selective perception?
-Individuals interpret a message through their own perceptions, which are influenced by their own experience, interests, values, motivations, and expectations
1. This perceptual screen leads to possible distortion or misinterpretation of the meaning from the sender’s original intent
-Nurses can overcome this barrier by using the feedback loop to ask clients to voice their understanding of the message they just received from the nurse
1. This enhances clarification and correction of misunderstandings, which is an essential step in the communication process
What is filtering?
-Filtering is described as manipulation of information by the sender in order to make it seem more favorable to the receiver
-Clients sometimes use filtering during the assessment process, giving only partial or distorted information because they think this is what health professionals want to hear
-Filtering can also affect community/public health nurses
-Cole, in a classic work, notes that we have “filters” through which we view others—often influenced by culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class or even gender—and these can lead to miscommunication
-Cole’s premise is that people from different backgrounds actually view the world differently, thus confounding communication and leading to prejudice and stereotyping
-Community/public health nurses should consider their communication style and those of the people with whom they come in contact
What is emotional influence?
-How a person feels at the time a message is sent or received influences the meaning
-Emotions can interfere with rational and objective reasoning, thus blocking communication
-Nurses need to be aware of their own emotions and the emotional status of clients or health professionals with whom they are communicating
1. For example, it is important for community/public health nurses to remain calm and unruffled when dealing with families in crisis
-Family communication may be angry, blaming, and confrontational because of a child’s serious health crisis, for instance
-A calm, firm, reassuring presence can go far in diffusing the situation and promoting clearer and more constructive communication
1. You may say, “I sense that you are feeling upset about Joey’s diagnosis. Are there any questions I can answer for you? How can I be of help to you?”
What are language barriers?
-People interpret the meaning of words differently, depending on many variables, such as age, education, cultural background, and primary spoken language
1. For example, an adolescent might understand the term “lit” to mean that something is good or exciting, whereas an 80-year-old person might understand the word refers to lighting
-In the community, nurses work with a wide range of clients and professionals whose disparate ages, education levels, and cultural backgrounds lead to different communication patterns
What is the language of nursing?
-The context of health care provides nurses with a unique vocabulary that may not be understood by clients, family, and community members
-The use of scientific terminology or jargon by some health professionals can be confusing to clients
-Communication techniques would be different when educating a new mother on proper breast-feeding techniques than when discussing community health needs with the director of a public health department
What are the strategies to overcome communication barriers?
-Community/public health nurses should be aware of the barriers that block effective communication
-Overcoming barriers to effective communication requires the development of sound communication skills, including sending, receiving, and interpersonal skills
What is involved with establishing trust and rapport?
-Nurses are considered to be knowledgeable professionals who have standing within the community
-Those working for public health agencies have power and authority as representatives of a government agency
-Clients may feel apprehensive about C/PHNs entering their homes
1. Therefore, it is essential for the nurse to demonstrate respect for the client, especially for those clients who lack self-respect
-Having an appreciation for the dignity and worth of all individuals, being nonjudgmental, and demonstrating empathy (acceptance and acknowledgement of the client’s situation and feelings) are prerequisites for successful communication with clients in the community setting
-Many factors that are often shaped by clients’ cultural background and upbringing influence trust and rapport
1. For many, the societal norm is to agree with someone in a position of authority, such as a community/public health nurse, even if they do not fully understand what that person is communicating
2. This can lead to mistrust and poor client outcomes
-Establishing a trusting relationship can empower clients to accomplish important lifestyle changes
1. However, it is important to keep in mind that although nurses have a good deal of knowledge and education, to be effective they must appreciate the knowledge gained by clients through life experiences and the environments in which they live
-Showing respect is a fundamental behavior that conveys the attitude that clients and others have knowledge, importance, dignity, and worth
-C/PHNs can work with clients in many ways to change their lives for the better, but just like acute care nurses need to “know the patient” in the hospital setting in order to pick up subtle cues that may indicate serious problems, we must begin with what is important to the client rather than our own agenda
-A new nurse making a home visit to a mother who has missed several immunization clinic appointments for her infant may think that the mother needs only information on why immunizations are important for her baby
1. However, the mother may be dealing with an abusive husband who has drug and alcohol problems
2. If the nurse begins the visit with a reminder about the missed appointments and the potential consequences involved, it may end abruptly
-It is best to begin by asking about the client’s concerns so the nurse can gain a deeper understanding of the client’s experiences, fears, and perspectives while communicating a demeanor of understanding and the intention to help
What must nurses do to establish trust and rapport?
-Develop a relationship with the client, not just around the public health issues of interest to the nurse but concerning the client’s life and challenges
-Over time, by being consistently trustworthy, reliable, sincere, and truthful with clients
What must nurses do to promote trust?
-Commit to develop knowledge and experience of the client and their situation
-Clarify expectations, anticipated behaviors, and boundaries of the nurse–client relationship
-Be aware of attitudes and behaviors that do not promote trust
What is involved with active listening?
-An essential skill is active listening, also referred to as reflective listening
-Active listening is the skill of assuming responsibility for and striving to understand the feelings and thoughts in a sender’s message, thus giving importance to the person speaking
-Active listening with nonjudgmental empathy helps to communicate acceptance and increase trust
-It also allows for an accurate understanding of another person’s viewpoint and helps to bring issues and concerns into the open, where they can be more easily resolved
1. However, our own personal beliefs and values may confuse the message
-A critical response to the client’s message by the nurse can cut off communication and cause the client to disengage; therefore, a nonjudgmental approach better supports a therapeutic relationship
What are skills that promote active listening?
-Being attentive and mindful:
1. Being focused and engaged in conversation with your client gives insight into the client’s frame of mind, reactions, and body language
-Conveying a nonjudgmental attitude:
1. Keeping an open mind, having interest in what your client is saying, and not arguing help build client self-confidence
-Using reflection:
1. Mirroring the client’s message by occasionally paraphrasing key points demonstrates empathy and shows the client you can view the world through the client’s eyes
-Asking for clarification:
1. By asking probing questions to clear up ambiguity or to expand on the client’s ideas, you check your interpretation of their message, closing the loop and preventing communication breakdowns
-Summarizing:
1. By restating key themes of your conversation, you ensure that you understand the true nature of the message and help the client reflect and focus on issues raised
-Sharing:
1. Explain your ideas, feelings, or messages only after client indicates readiness and you have first fully understood the other person’s views
What is involved with communicating clearly?
-The CDC hosts a site that provides valuable resources to augment clear communication, including a clear communication index use guide, index widget, example material, and everyday words for public health communication
-The basic rules for effective verbal or written communication can be summarized in this manner:
1. Use everyday words
2. Use as few words as possible
3. Use active voice
4. Ask for feedback to make certain that the message is understood
What is health literacy and health outcomes?
-Health literacy is essential to client autonomy and good client outcomes
-Health literacy is critical to health promotion, and disease prevention encompasses cultural, scientific, media, and technological literacy
-Vulnerable groups such as older adults, recent immigrants, migrants, ethnic minorities, and clients with low levels of education and dominant language proficiency are most affected by low health literacy
-Health information is disseminated in person, in print, and online, so health literacy is relevant to all of these processes
-Clear communication is important to outcomes; one example is the link between the level of health literacy among rural heart failure patients and morbidity and mortality rates
-In addition, adequate health literacy among the nursing population is imperative in addressing the problem
-Low health literacy skills are associated with poorer health status, increased health care costs, and use of emergency care, because patients with low health literacy levels are less knowledgeable about their health conditions and are less likely to seek preventative care, especially in older adults (≥65 years of age)
-Children with caregivers who have low literacy skills have poor health outcomes, because the caregivers are less knowledgeable about their child’s condition and less likely to engage in behaviors to help improve it
-The federal government has set standards to encourage health professionals to consider clients’ health literacy when communicating with them
-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) developed the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy based on the vision and principles that “(1) everyone has the right to health information that helps them make informed decisions and (2) health services are delivered in ways that are understandable and beneficial to health, longevity, and quality of life”
-To be sure that these goals are being met, the improvement of health literacy and health communication for our population continues to be a priority in the Healthy People 2030 goals
-Health communication includes health literacy, but it also incorporates health messages and campaigns targeted to populations
-Population health promotion is best achieved by health communication that uses multiple communication channels to reach stakeholders, including television, radio, newspapers, Web sites, social media, smartphones/applications, text messaging, educational pamphlets, and nutrition and medication labels
-To manage disease and promote health, we must make sure our patients can understand the health information they see, hear, and read from multiple sources
Why do any clients in need of health services or information need health literacy skills?
-Access services and information
-Communicate individual needs and preferences
-Internalize the meaning of health information and services available
-Grasp the context, options, and resulting consequences in health settings
-Make choices that are aligned with their preferences and needs
How can presenting information in a manner that matches the clients’ health literacy level help address health disparities and empower clients to effectively manage their health?
-Understanding and complying with self-care instructions, including complex daily medical regimens
-Planning and attaining necessary lifestyle adjustments to improve their health
-Making positive, informed health-related decisions
-Knowing when and how to access necessary health care
-Addressing health issues in their community and society by sharing health-promoting activities with others