Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Training for Nurses Working With Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Geriatric care
• Nursing education
• Conflict resolution

Background:

• Older adults often face complex care decisions.
• Patient-nurse conflicts arise from misaligned care recommendations and patient preferences.
• Effective communication strategies are crucial in geriatric care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (NDR) training program for nurses.
• To equip nurses with practical skills for managing patient-nurse conflicts in geriatric care.
• To assess the impact of NDR training on nurses' negotiation knowledge and confidence.

Main Methods:

• Nurses participated in a 90-minute Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (NDR) training session.
• A mixed-method survey was administered to assess training effectiveness.
• Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• All participating nurses reported experiencing frequent conflicts with older adult patients.
• Baseline negotiation knowledge was limited for most nurses (66%).
• Post-training, all nurses reported moderate or higher negotiation knowledge, with high satisfaction and intent to apply skills.

Conclusions:

• Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (NDR) training is a feasible intervention for nurses.
• The training effectively enhanced nurses' negotiation knowledge and confidence in managing complex care decisions.
• The study highlights the value of specialized training for improving nurse-patient communication in geriatric settings.