4.8: Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation
Several factors are considered while creating a patient's care plan. Motivation is a factor in improving communication, and patients often require encouragement to try different approaches involving significant change. It is essential to involve the patient and family in decisions about the plan of care to determine whether the suggested methods are acceptable. Consider meeting critical comfort and safety needs before introducing new communication methods and techniques. Allow adequate time for practice. Participants must be patient with themselves and one another to communicate effectively.
Once the diagnosis is identified, the nurse selects a relevant and achievable plan for the patient, such as expressing needs or understanding the physical condition. Next, they choose expected outcomes that are very specific and measurable. Finally, results identify ways to determine whether a broader goal is met. For example, effective results for a patient may include the following:
- • The patient initiates a conversation about a diagnosis or health care problem.
- • The patient can attend to appropriate stimuli.
- • The patient conveys clear and understandable messages to the health care team.
- • The patient expresses increased satisfaction with the communication process.
The nurse executes the treatment plan through the implementation phase, which entails taking action and carrying out the nursing interventions specified in the care plan. Medical professionals will generally start by performing any necessary medical treatments.
Each patient should receive customized interventions focusing on attainable goals. A nursing care plan calls for taking care of the patient directly or performing crucial medical procedures like administering medication. It also calls for teaching and advising the patient about ongoing health management and referring or contacting them for follow-up care.
Implementation involves implementing the plan, such as using nursing interventions to turn nursing goals into expected outcomes. For example, the nurse explains that the weight loss the patient is experiencing is related to diabetes and refers the patient to the dietitian.
Nurses use verbal communication to describe the intervention procedure to the patient and written communication to document the processes. Non-verbal communication, such as listening and observing, allows nurses to determine the patient's understanding of the care plan and provides clarification as needed.
