Paper Example on Communication Skills and Conflict Resolution in Nursing

Introduction

Conflicts occur in any environment where human beings interact. This is because people vary in many ways and may fail to be impressed by some aspects of the people they come across. In the process of offering health services, nurses and other personnel often encounter conflicts between them and their patients or even among themselves. In some instances, the patients may feel that they are not being given quality assistance, which may be valid to them and maybe unavoidable by the nurses because of various reasons. Therefore, in return nurses have to handle the situation keenly to avoid further issues being raised.

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Communication Styles

In this case, the RN is handling a patient who is angry at the situation. Therefore, it is essential that the nurse first understand that the patient is not happy because he or she is speaking of the issues loudly and efficiently communicate. The nurse should remain composed and keenly control reactions since the person being handled is a patient, a situation that is not easy to be. The nurse should use a calm tone and slowly talk when responding to the patient. Responding to the specific issues raised by the patient will be appropriate and finding more about the issues raised will help the nurse to engage the patient in proper communication. The nurse should display empathy to the patient so that the patient can feel that the nurse is concerned with the patient's situation. The nurse should give a moment for the patient to calm and then provide a relevant and justifiable explanation to the patient. In case the patient insists on arguing, the nurse should use all possible means to ensure no more argument is between the two, rather, avoiding the exchange of words for some time would be advisable (Sheldon, 2008).

Conflict Resolution Strategies

Since there has been a conflict between the nurse and the patient, the appropriate resolution must be made using the best strategies one can apply. The RN should accommodate the reactions of the patient and suppress personal emotions such as anger so that he or she can handle the situation without further annoying the patient. As a nurse, he or she should not assume that the patient has become stubborn or maybe a source of the disturbance. Showing concern for the problems expressed or being experienced by the patient will calm the patient and make him, or she feels being given the right response. The RN should even try to find out more issues that the patient has to raise; this will ease every step to handle the patient (Sheldon, 2008).

After a successful engagement with the patient over the complains, it will be appropriate to sincerely apologize to the patient over the same and give appropriate promises that it will all be well handled from the period onwards. After all this, it is important that the nurse uphold the pledges and ensure a repeat of the same is not experienced.

Conclusion

Therefore, as an RN, one should always keep in mind that nursing care is based on the nurse-patient relationship in the process of patient healing. A therapeutic relationship may be destroyed in case of a conflict. To make the environment conducive, a nurse must always use all the possible means to minimize or eliminate any conflict between them and patients or any persons related to the patient

References

Sheldon, L. K. (2008). Communication for Nurses: Talking with Patients. 2nd ed. Jones and Bartlett.