Related Experiment Videos
Nurses' communication difficulties when providing end-of-life care in the oncology setting: a cross-sectional study
Shao Wei Toh1, Valerie Tantiana Hollen2, Elaine Ang2
1National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Singapore. tohshaowei94@gmail.com.
Purpose:
To (1) examine the communication difficulties nurses experience when providing end-of-life (EOL) care, (2) establish the correlation between communication difficulties across various stakeholders and (3) determine the impact sociodemographic factors has on the communication difficulties experienced.
Methods:
124/178 (69.7%) nurses from oncology wards of a tertiary hospital were recruited. Sociodemographic survey and three validated subscales: Communication with Patient and Family (CPF), Explanation to Family (EF) and Reassessment of Current Treatment and Nursing Care (RCTNC) were used to collect the data. Data were analysed with Independent Samples T test, One-Way Analysis of Variance and Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Results:
Mean score was highest for CPF (8.75 ± 2.24) and lowest for RCTNC (6.32 ± 2.26). Positive correlations were found between CPF with EF (r = 0.613, p < 0.001), CPF with RCTNC (r = 0.243, p = 0.007) and EF with RCTNC (r = 0.370, p < 0.001). Age (p = 0.048), years of experience (p = 0.001), religion (p = 0.034) and EOL care training received (p = 0.040) were significant factors for CPF subscale while age (p = 0.011), years of experience (p = 0.001), educational qualification (p = 0.003) and EOL care training received (p = 0.026) were the significant factors for EF subscale.
Conclusion:
Nurses experienced more communication difficulties with patients and families than with the healthcare team. When nurses experience communication difficulties with the healthcare team, they also tend to experience communication difficulties with patients and families and when providing explanations to families. Nurses experienced greater communication difficulties when they are younger, are non-graduates, have less years of experience, adopted a religion or did not receive training in EOL care.
Trial Registration:
Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: 2019/00680 (Domain Specific Review Board).
Related Concept Videos
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:15Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
01:25Role of Communication in the Nursing Process I: Assessment and Diagnosis
The nursing process considers the patient's emotional and physical well-being. The process can be repeated or stopped at any point if judged essential. Assessment is the first step in the nursing...
01:25Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation