Communication of nurses and elder patients in hospital wards: a qualitative study

Abstract

Introduction: There is an increasing aging population in Iran. Most nurses will be involved in caring for older people in the future. Over the past years, many studies showed the benefits of effective nurse-patient relationship. The purpose of this study was to ascertain how nurses and older patients communicate together.

Methods: Using phenomenological approach, the researcher drew participants from Al-Zahra hospital in Isfahan. A purposive sample of 8 nurses and 4 geriatric patients were interviewed in-depth. Colaizzi's analysis method guided the essential activities of the researchers. The reliability and validity of the present study were grounded on the four items (factual value, applicability, consistency and neutrality) suggested by Guba and Lincoln.

Results: Three major themes were identified. These were as follows: 1) task-oriented communication, 2) incomplete communication, 3) appropriate communication.

Conclusion: Despite emphases on nurse-elder patient communication as a basic element of nursing care for older patients, findings showed that this condition continues to be poor. We can improve the relationship between nurses and elder patients through training communication skills and increasing awareness of nurses on aging phenomena.