Patients’ views on nurses’ communication skills: a pilot study

Abstract

This article explores how patients view the communication skills of nurses involved in their care and highlights the personal and professional qualities or skills that may encourage rapport and understanding. Thirty-six patients with advanced cancer were involved in this pilot study and took part in an audiotaped assessment undertaken by a nurse with specialist communication training. Following the assessment interview the patients completed a self-report questionnaire which was anonymously returned. Themes were generated and analysed from the 29 questionnaires returned. Each patient was asked to highlight their main concerns and to detail whether these concerns had been discussed during the interview with the nurse. Regrettably as a result of an administrative error it was not possible to compare individual taped assessments with corresponding questionnaires. The pilot study enabled communication to be viewed from the patient’s perspective and demonstrates that for some patients their main concerns remain hidden.