Nurses' responses to patients' communication.

In this article the results of research undertaken to explore and describe nurses' responses to patients' communication as a factor in health promotion, maintenance and restoration are discussed. Nurses who have completed their basic course in nursing, question the need for participation in post-basic interpersonal skills courses. In contrast to this, patients, families and communities complained that nurses communicate with them in a poor manner and do not listen to them. The research question arose: "How do nurses respond to patients' communication?". A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised. The naive sketch method was used to collect data regarding nurses' responses to patients' communication. To ensure trustworthiness Guba's model was implemented. Through data analysis five categories of nurses' responses on patients' communication were identified: reassuring: giving of advise/dictating from own frame of reference; explaining; moralizing; and first level empathy. The first four categories of communication patterns are detrimental to the promotion, maintenance and restoration of the patient's health. Previous interpersonal or communication skills programs completed by nurses, do not guarantee the internalisation of attitudes and effective communication skills that are conducive to the promotion, maintenance and restoration of patients' health.