Why is it important for nurses to have good communication skills? What are some examples of poor communication skills that can be seen in nurses or patients?

I think there are many examples of poor communication skills that can be seen in nurses. I am not a healthcare professional, but I say this with experience in the Med-Ed and Med-Tech field, and obviously, as a patient myself.

Typically if you’re in hospital, nurses are the healthcare provider you have most contact with. If you are seeing a doctor, sometimes, communication can be relayed through the nurse. If you have questions or doubts, in many cases you to ask the nurse before the doctor.

If a nurse is rude, or has little patience, or poor listening skills, you may very well feel frustrated and aggravated with them. Leaving you with a bad experience and in some cases, confused over your diagnosis or treatment plan.

This is why it is so important for nurses to have good communication skills. It’s been proven in many cases, that patient satisfaction and allowing shared decision making in patient interactions, helps health outcomes. Patients are happier with their experience and fully understand the process they must take to get better, therefore, typically, they stick with it.