Nursing takes courage. Sometimes that courage is needed to respond to a difficult patient or case; other times it is needed to respond to your own reactions and needs.
Nurses need to rethink their attitude toward those who are new to the profession, lead with compassion, and share their knowledge gained through experience.
How do you answer when the patient or family asks, “What is next?” More importantly, though, you need to recognize if they are asking that question, or is there something else they are really asking.
Medical terminology can be a foreign language — or confusing, at the least — for many patients. Ann Brady uses a patient encounter to illustrate the potential miscommunication inherent in using “medicalese” in patient communication.
Although many physical expressions are universal, oncology nurses may be challenged to catch notice of more subtle body language from patients or a family member.
WWW is not for the world-wide web, but it is an easy way to remember the 3 w’s of communication with patients with advanced disease: wish, worry, wonder.
When patients and families are holding on to what you don’t say, they may use combativeness and being argumentative to keep you — and your words — from bringing them to accept the unacceptable.
