Counselling implication on nurse-patient Communication at the trauma and specialist hospital in Effutu Municipality

Abstract

This study sought to explore nurse-patient communication at the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region as well as the factors that influence the communication process and its implication to counselling. The study adopted the qualitative approach which was underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm. The population of the study was made up of 172 nurses and admitted patients. The samples size was 30 participants which comprised of 15 nurses and 15 patients on admission. The study adopted a descriptive phenomenological design to understand the lived experiences of nurses and patients regarding communication within the hospital setting. A qualitative approach was used, involving purposive sampling of 15 nurses and 15 patients. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. The semi-structured interview guide was the instrument used for the data collection. Data were transcribed using Nvivo version 12. The study revealed that participants experiences were related to the demonstration of professional knowledge and skills by the nurses, assistance with pain, amount of time spent and nurses’ attention. However, the study identified that, gender, psychological barriers, age-related barriers, language barriers, and nurse education were some of the barriers that strained nurse-patient communication. The study concluded that, if these factors that strain nurse-patient relationship are abated, the quality of health care would be enhanced with significant achievements relating to nurse-patient communication. It is recommended that The Effutu Municipal Health Directorate in collaboration with the leadership of the Trauma and Specialist Hospital should organise departmental meetings and workshops aimed at educating nurses on the role of trust, support, confidentiality, cultural awareness, patient safety and human dignity in improving nurse-patient communication and the quality of health care delivery. Also, the Effutu Municipal Health Directorate in collaboration with the leadership of the Trauma and Specialist Hospital should deliberately make available mechanisms to facilitate the building of trust, hospitableness, flexibility, and motivate patients to play active roles in the hospital to improve nurse-patient communication