title: Communicating effectively with elderly surgical patients.
abstract: Effective communication promotes trusting, productive nurse/patient relationships. It is the perioperative nurse's responsibility to establish effective communication with each patient. Perioperative nurses strive to provide quality care to all patients, including the elderly. Communication barriers often do exist, however, between nurses and elderly patients. Perioperative nurses are challenged, therefore, to recognize potential communication barriers and to manage each nurse/patient relationship accordingly. Clear communication between nurse and patient enhances the elderly patient's ability to progress smoothly through surgery and recovery.
authors.affiliation: Xavier University, Cincinnati.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Proffitt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003144:Communication Barriers; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000451:nursing; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009871:Operating Room Nursing; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000451:nursing