Communication skills of nurses during interactions with simulated cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
In this paper the balance of affective and instrumental communication employed by nurses during the admission interview with recently diagnosed cancer patients was investigated.


BACKGROUND
The balance of affective and instrumental communication employed by nurses appears to be important, especially during the admission interview with cancer patients.


METHODS
For this purpose, admission interviews between 53 ward nurses and simulated cancer patients were videotaped and analysed using the Roter Interaction Analysis system, in which a distinction is made between instrumental and affective communication.


RESULTS
The results reveal that more than 60% of nurses' utterances were of an instrumental nature. Affective communication occurred, but was more related to global affect ratings like giving agreements and paraphrases than to discussing and exploring actively patients feelings by showing empathy, showing concern and optimism.


CONCLUSIONS
In future, nurses should be systematically provided with (continuing) training programmes, in which they learn how to communicate effectively in relation to patients' emotions and feelings, and how to integrate emotional care with practical and medical tasks.
Kruijver
I P
IP
Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands. i.kruyver@nivel.nl
Kerkstra
A
A
Bensing
J M
JM
van de Wiel
H B
HB
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D009426:Netherlands; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010343:Patient Admission; D016544:Patient Simulation; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014743:Videotape Recording