Competency: Interpersonal Skills and Healthcare Practice

Competency: Interpersonal Skills and Healthcare Practice

Interpersonal skills are essential in any work environment. The nursing profession equally requires excellent interpersonal skills for positive patient outcomes. Communication is a vital aspect of interpersonal skills. Effective communication increases self-confidence and self-esteem (Vertino, 2014). An increase in the two elements increases overall well being and better service delivery. Language is, therefore, an essential component of communication, both written and spoken. At the health care facility, the language barrier is common between patients and colleagues.

Part 1

Situation  

Communication takes place between health professionals as well as between health personnel and patients. A patient of Asian descent visited the hospital with severe chest pains and headaches. Even though it was apparent the patient had chest pains, the headache was not noticeable. Explaining the chest and headache symptoms to the nurse was difficult because the nurse had Basic English skills.

Interpersonal Skills Used

Verbal communication was used. The nurse who is an Indian recently relocated to the U.S. had a communication barrier with the elderly Asian patient whose English proficiency was lower. The patient was getting impatient and agitated. A fellow nurse with more profound English skills stepped in and quelled the situation.

Impact of Skills Used

The use of verbal and listening skills impacted patient-nurse communication. In situations where the nurse and patient cannot effectively commute, the patient experience is negative. However, when intervention measures were used, the patient experience was positive.

Skills Improvement

Having foreign nurses with better language skills is necessary. For nurses with Basic English skills, an upgrade should be encouraged to facilitate better communication. Having a communication app is also another way of improving the art of conversation. Not only would it improve patient outcomes but also improve the nurses’ language proficiency.

Part 2

Hypothesis

The experiment would be geared towards solving the language barrier in health care facilities. Patients and nurses with non-English speaking backgrounds are more likely to suffer a language barrier. Pronunciation of words, for example, is distorted, making communication difficult. In situations where both nurses and patients have low proficiency, the barrier gap increases.

Control Group

Ten patients and ten nurses would be used in the experiment. Some of the patients would have a good command of the English language, while some would not. All the nurses in the group, however, would have Basic English proficiency skills. The nurses would interact with both proficient and non-proficient patients.

Experimental Design

Five nurses would use a communication app, while the other five would not. The five using the app would turn on the app on their electronic device, such as a tablet, as the patient gave verbal details of their needs. The app would display the communication in written form, correcting wrongfully pronounced words by both parties.

Obstacles to Scientific Approach

A scientific approach is not needed to solve the problem. A technological approach would be better suited for the situation. The language barrier is not scientific; hence scientifically dealing with it is not realistic. The group using the app would likely have a better understanding of each other, saving time and ultimately improving patient outcomes. Language proficiency would also most likely improve for the nurses using the app. The nurses without the app would realize the opposite results. Such a result would be indicative of the fact that the situation is not scientific hence not requiring a scientific approach. The solution, in this case, the use of an app would be a technological approach.