Nurses' Perspectives on Communication in Acute Psychiatric Care: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Effective communication is essential for accurately assessing psychiatric symptoms and improving patient outcomes in acute psychiatric care. However, little is known about the challenges that nurses face in interacting with these patients and their perspectives.

To explore the perspectives of nurses in regard to communicating with patients in acute psychiatric care.

Seventeen psychiatric ward nurses were purposively sampled and participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Two themes were identified. Regarding Theme 1, the perceived challenges in communication included four subthemes: perceived ineffectiveness in communication, entangled relationships and corresponding trust crisis, disempowerment related to professional identity and limited human resources and institutional constraints. Regarding Theme 2, the employed communication coping strategies included four subthemes: proactive preparation and identifying entry points, boundary setting and empathy regulation, utilising personal strengths and emotional resources and experiencing positive emotions and value.

Nurses in acute psychiatric care face communication challenges due to patients' acute psychiatric symptoms, insufficient communication skills and an uneven workforce distribution. Even when coping strategies are employed, these factors hinder effective communication.

The results indicate that a well-organised and effective communication approach tailored to the symptoms of acute psychiatric patients in China is necessary. Such an approach should incorporate nurses' practical communication skills to improve their communication abilities.