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Nontherapeutic Communication Techniques in Nursing

Nontherapeutic communication prevents patients from expressing their emotions freely and prevents a healthy patient-nurse relationship. A strong relationship is necessary not only for the patient's recovery but also for the nurse to understand the health condition of the patient and his constant progress or the lack of it. As a nurse, it is important that you know what constitutes nontherapeutic communication so that you can identify and replace it with effective therapeutic communication.

  1. Getting Personal

    • Asking intrusive personal questions about the patient and his life is highly unprofessional. Similarly, giving out personal opinions on problems and issues related to the patient also amounts to nontherapeutic communication. When you give a personal opinion, you snatch away the decision-making opportunity from your patient. It also subtly conveys that the patient is incapable of making decisions on his own and that you are taking responsibility for him. It is important to realize that it is the patient's problem and he has the last say in decision-making.

    Changing the Subject

    • Changing the subject when the patient is trying to talk to you about something is not polite. It shows absence of empathy on your part and implies that you do not think what the patient has to say as important. This can stop the patient from communicating further. In case interruption is necessary, find other ways to do it. For example, if the patient is busy talking about his debt problems during his walk time, say gently, "It's time for your walk. You can talk about your debt problems as we walk."

    False Hopes

    • False reassurances are just based on sympathy and are not empathetic. Your intention may be to help your ailing or distressed patient. But, clichéd statements such as, "No reason to fear; you are going to be alright," are nothing but false reassurances if not based on facts. They discourage the patient from carrying out any further communication with you. A more empathetic response would be, "It's hard not knowing what your reports are going to say. Is there anything I can do to help?"

    Judgmental Talk

    • As a nurse, you should refrain from imposing your beliefs, opinions and values on your patients. A judgmental attitude discourages patients from talking freely about their opinions and beliefs as they fear being judged. Give importance to patients' beliefs as well, hear them out and discuss their opinions at length so that patients judge their beliefs and opinions themselves. For example, if your patient is considering euthanasia, saying "I'm surprised to hear that you are thinking about euthanasia. Tell me why you think it can help your situation" would encourage her to talk more freely than a judgmental "Euthanasia is just unethical. Don't even think about it" would have done.

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