Communication in Nursing and Healthcare: A Guide for Compassionate Practice

Communication is an essential skill for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals when delivering care to patients and their families. With its unique and practical approach, this new textbook will support students throughout the three years of their degree programme and on into practice, focussing on how to develop person-centredness and compassionate and collaborative care. Key features include: * students' experiences and stories from service users and patients to help readers relate theory to practice * reflective exercises to help students think critically about their communication skills * learning objectives and chapter summaries for revision * interactive activities directly linked to the Values Exchange Community website

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Introduction Part 1 Fundamentals of Communication for Compassionate Practice 1 Essential Values for Communication, Compassion and Collaborative Care The importance of communication and remaining compassionate Respect and dignity The centrality and complexity of communication in the therapeutic relationship 2 Essential Communication Skills: Building Blocks for Good Communication Non-verbal, verbal and written communication: listening, questioning, record keeping, electronic prescribing Professional communication, professional identity, and social and professional media The use of reflection on practice 3 The Role of Attachment Theory and Cognition in Influencing Behaviour The role of cognition Attachment theory Understanding attachment, cognition and practice 4 Enabling Positive Health Behaviour Changing patterns of ill health and health education Motivational interviewing and health behaviour change The role of emotional intelligence and mindfulness Conclusion to Part 1 Part 2 Communication Skills in Practice 5 Communicating to Help Health Service Users Understand and Deal with their Condition The importance of psychosocial care Communicating with anxious or distressed patients Communicating with those with long-term conditions to help change behaviour 6 Communication for Mental Health: Understanding the Effects of Stigma What is stigma? Avoiding stigmatising communication within general settings Looking past diagnoses to achieve person-centred care within mental health services 7 Communicating with People with Cognitive Deficits Communicating with people with intellectual disability Communicating with people who have dementia 8 Communicating with Children, Young People and Families Communicating within the context of the family How development affects communication Stereotyping young people 9 Communicating with Middle-aged and Older People Features associated with ageing in contemporary society Specific challenges in middle and older age Overcoming stereotyping and stigma 10 Integrating Mindful Communication Skills for Complex Encounters Working with distress and anger Breaking bad news Communicating with people with life-limiting and end-of-life conditions Conclusion to Part 2 Part 3 Equipping for the Future: Theoretical and Ethical Issues 11 Communicating Authentically in Organisations Organisations, culture, communication and leadership The importance of self in leadership Authentic self and authentic leadership 12 Maintaining Positive Values in Communication and Caring for Self and Others The emotional challenges of transitioning to qualified nurse status Sustaining and enhancing ethical and compassionate communication in difficult circumstances Learning from the past 13 Communication Theory, Reflective and Ethical Practice in the ‘Swampy Lowlands’ The importance of communication theory Communication, reflective and ethical practice Communication theory that informs and enables reflection on ethical practice in healthcare Conclusion to Part 3 Index

Review :
′Gault et al have grasped the nettle of the impact of burnout, desensitisation, Francis and Winterbourne View on healthcare and offer a comprehensive toolkit of skills to breathe the fresh air of compassionate communication back into practice. I heartily recommend this text to all healthcare students and seasoned professionals alike.′  ‘Finally we have a book which comprehensively supports nursing students in gaining a sophisticated understanding of communication in healthcare. This book enables nurses to truly make a difference to the lives of healthcare users and will impact positively on lifelong professional working.’  ′This book is a comprehensive, evidence-based, handbook for modern healthcare practitioners. Its practical approach ensures key skills are addressed. Informed by shared experiences of healthcare practice and authors′ expertise, the reader is provided with an essential toolkit for developing a holistic, reflective, sensitive, value based approach to communicating in health care.′  ′This is an excellent guide for students which demonstrates the important role of communication in delivering compassionate, dignified and respectful care.  It will support the student to develop from novice communicator to leaders in care.′    ′This book is an important resource for all those involved in the teaching of communication skills. Its approach incorporating theory along with exercises and nurse practice exemplars grabs the attention of nurses and teachers with a desire to want to learn more about how to be an effective compassionate communicator.′   ′An admirably broad view of communication in health and social care linked to theory and topic areas such as long-term conditions, mental health and challenges such as dementia and learning disability. An accessible text relevant to a wide range of health, social and educative professionals.′