Although the nurse educates
the patient on the standard
procedure of frequent vital
signs, the patient’s experience
may lead him to communicate
it differently to friends and
family.
3. Focus on the issue, not the
person. Many people already
communicate in this fashion.
However, they do not always
specify their communication
as such. For example, senior
physician residents in a teaching hospital were asked to
report daily to the unit charge
nurse regarding each patient’s
plan of care. Reactions were
mixed. Some residents understood the goal of increasing
communication to expedite
quality care. Other residents
felt the request was nursing’s
way of telling them they did
not respond to pages during
morning rounds. From the
outside, the second interpretation seems farfetched but
it serves to show how people
interpret communication differently. You can never make
assumptions. Identifying the
issue as a way to collaborate
for better care could have
diminished the risk of anyone
misinterpreting the goal behind the communication. Regardless of how you present
communication, remember
that each unique personality
will respond differently. If
someone misinterprets what
is being said, stay focused on
the issue and do not respond
to the personality.
4. Ask questions. There is a notion among the general public
that a lack of questions
equates to understanding.
This is not so. It is imporWinter 2014 Pennsylvania Nurse 6
tant to clarify understanding
with those you communicate
with. Asking patients to
repeat what has been taught
or repeating orders back
to a health care provider
are examples of clarifying
questions. In order for communication to be completely
effective we also need to
consider questions such as:
How does this plan or change
make you feel? What are your
concerns for the day or for
this meeting? Asking patients
and colleagues these type of
questions will help to uncover
emotion, guided by personality type, which can extend
communication further for
better outcomes.
5. Utilize organized communication. Realizing the role that
personality plays in communication is only one piece of the
puzzle. It is important to use
other organized techniques to
ensure that all pieces of information are shared. The technique of SBARQ has been
shown effective in interprofessional communication as well
as patient outcomes (Pope,
Rodzen & Spross, 2008). Keep
communication focused to the
situation, background, assessment, request or recommendation and questions. Do not
be afraid to use the same type
of technique when communicating with patients. The
more patients can understand
the entire situation, the more
likely they are to have positive outcomes.
Communication is an essential, yet complex tool that is the
core to human interaction. In
nursing school, we are taught the
importance of organized communication methods, non-verbal
cues and therapeutic techniques.
Understanding the role personality plays in our communication
interactions will not only make
communication easier, but enhance teamwork and efficiency
(CPP, 2014). De Vries, BakkerPieper and Konings (2011, p. 509)
state that “communication style
is the expression of one’s personality.” If this is the case, we can
expect every day to be full of
diverse encounters.
References
CPP (2014). Bringing “be better” into the board.
room. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/ResultiveBoards_MBTI
deVries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., Konings,
F. E. & Schouten, B. (2011). The communication styles inventory (CSI): A six-dimensional
behavioral model of communication styles
and its relation with personality. Communication Research, 40(4), 506-532. doi:
10.1177/0093650211413571
Haynes, J. & Strickler, J. (2014). TeamSTEPPS makes strides for better communication. Nursing 2014, 44(1), 62-63. doi:
10.1097/01.NURSE.0000438725.66087.89
Myers & Briggs Foundation. (2014). The 16
MBTI Types. Retrieved from http://www.
myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/
mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.asp#ESTJ
Pope, B., Rodzen, L. & Spross, G. (2008).
Raising the SBAR: How better communication improves patient outcomes. Nursing 2008, 38(3), 41-43. doi: 10.1097/01.
NURSE.0000312625.74434.e8
Dr. Moyer is PSNA’s Director
of Professional Development.
She oversees the management
of continuing education and
program development. Currently
a faculty member of the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences,
her extensive background also
includes acute care staff nurse,
clinical head nurse and hospice
nurse. Moyer is an accomplished
author and has been published
Nursing2011, MEDSURG Nursing and Advance for Nurses.