Question

Clinical experience of 1 example of Therapeutic Communication Technique use and 1 Non Therapeutic Technique use (verbal or non verbal), and identify the technique that was been used . 

Answer 1

1. Therapeutic communication technique.

Therapeutic communication is one of the pillars of nursing skills. It  is a process where communication techniques are being used to promote the wellbeing of a patient in a nursing care profession.

Example: One of my patient was worried about her pet during her hospitalization . She told me "My cat might not get fed today because I'm in the hospital". She was worried and anxious about her pet cat feeding. She told so many stories about her pet and showed me her cat's photograph. I curiously listened all stories about her pet cat with proper eye contact and finally I told to her like this. "I understand how worried you are for your cat. Is there a friend or neighbor that you can call on the phone from here and talk to about feeding your cat?.". The patient was satisfied with my response and thankfully refused and told me she was waiting for the phone call of one of her relatives who may help her to feed her cat.

Here the nurse in this situation maintained good eye contact, maintained minimal distractions , showed a genuine interest, and replied in a caring manner. The nurse did not brushed off the patient's request as a minor event of her day, and with active listening techniques, she gained the trust of the patient. Mutual trust always leads to better rapport.

2. Nontherapeutic communication technique

Nontherapeutic communication involves various words, phrases, actions, and tones that make a patient feel uncomfortable, increase their stress, and worsen their overall mental, and perhaps even physical, wellbeing.

Example: Once a client during her hospital course told me that the physician is too old and not prescribing any medicines for her. I told to the client like this. ' Your doctor is very professional ,....The doctor is only looking out for you. This particular doctor is much experienced and will not prescribe any unnecessary medicines"

1. Therapeutic communication technique used in the example ---Active listening , ie,

• paying close attention to what the patient is saying by observing both verbal and non-verbal cues.
• Maintaining eye contact and making verbal remarks to clarify and encourage further communication.

Active listening involves showing interest in what patients have to say, acknowledging that you’re listening and understanding, and engaging with them throughout the conversation. Nurses can offer general leads such as “What happened next?” to guide the conversation or propel it forward.

2. Nontherapeutic communication technique used in the example is defending.

This basically tells the patient that their critique is unfounded and that the patient shouldn't express their feelings or opinions. Defending only serves to reinforce the patient's opinion and shut down further communication.When clients express criticism, nurses should listen to what they are saying. Listening does not imply agreement. To discover reasons for the client’s anger or dissatisfaction, the nurse must listen uncritically.