Therapeutic Communication - Free Essay in Nursing

Therapeutic communication refers to the personal interaction between the nurse and the patient with a specific focus on improving the emotional and physical wellness of the patient (Townsend and Morgan, 2017). Every day nurses have to deal with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds and as such, they may encounter patients with different backgrounds, beliefs, and values. There are various that factors that come into play and potential barriers while communicating with such patients.

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When I find that the values of a patient conflict mine, I would attempt to find out more about their culture either through personal interactions or internet searches. However, not everything can be found on the internet; therefore I would adopt a variety of measures to deal with such patients. I would communicate with such them or their families by adopting the open-minded approach (Bing.com, 2018). This means that when I am faced with an unfamiliar situation during the communication process, I would welcome suggestions from them instead of jumping to conclusions. Additionally, I am aware that different genders play different roles in different cultures. Therefore I would try my best to remain gender neutral in all circumstances or ask for directions from the patient concerned. Also, I would take try to comprehend the protocols of the specific cultural group I will be addressing (Bing.com, 2018). For instance, I might be faced with a situation where it is morally wrong to address a woman while the man is present. Understanding protocols of different cultures will enable me to avoid related mistakes.

I would deal with the potential cultural barriers by determining whether there are shared cultural aspects that I can accommodate, asking whether a particular behavior is acceptable in their culture, and asking people familiar with the culture for tips on how to deal with the patient (McIntire, 2014).

Overall, communication with people who have diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and values can be a difficult task. We can communicate with such people by adopting the open-minded approach, being aware of the gender roles in the culture, and comprehending the role of gender in that culture. Potential barriers in the communication process can be overcome by a determination of factors such as shared cultural aspects. Regardless, nurses need to try their best to embrace diverse cultures of their patients.

References

Bing.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=866794BA481B4BAE813E25952122E8BA&CID=036026C0FCD860D937BD2D09FD776135&rd=1&h=ueHIOSQi8lVbJcx-oDT9vooaN9V8UufNZl_B4-hzvBo&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2ftraining.gov.au%2fTrainingComponentFiles%2fCHC%2fCHCDIV001_R1.pdf&p=DevEx.LB.1,5588.1 [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

McIntire, M. (2014). [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140603143206-20499125-how-to-overcome-language-and-cultural-barriers-in-the-workplace [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

Townsend, M. C., & Morgan, K. I. (2017). Psychiatric mental health nursing: Concepts of care in evidence-based practice. FA Davis