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Communication : The Importance Of Communication In The Healing Process

Decent Essays

Communication is what allows people to connect and share. It entails all human behavior including verbal and nonverbal ques. Verbal communication can be exchanged through an oral or written language. Nonverbal communication involves everything you do that portrays a message that is not speaking, such as facial expressions and body language. Communication is essential in the healing process. Nurses use communication every day in order to share information to their colleagues and patients. It can be altered if there is a language barrier or if the person is unable to speak. Communication is essential in the healing process because, “When communication is impaired, often the physical healing process may be impaired” (Giger et al, 2002). Space Personal space is the area around a person which can also be called outer space. Inner space is the person’s awareness that filters stimuli. A person can experience discomfort if their inner and outer space is invaded. Personal space and a person’s level of comfort vary culture to culture. Spatial behavior can be understood by the sensory systems vision, sound, touch, and smell. As a nurse it is important to be aware of a person’s spatial behavior pertaining to their culture because includes proximity to others, objects in the environment, and movement. The nurse can be responsive to a person’s personal space by picking up on their nonverbal body language. For example, if a person steps back when you are talking to them it could indicate that you are violating their personal space. Social Organization A person’s social organization forms their cultural behavior. Cultural behavior is learned through experiences and dictates how someone will act and behave in certain situations. This is important for nurses because a person’s cultural behavior will provide an explanation of why they behave in a certain way. Nurses should respect and value social organizations because it permits physiological and psychological growth and maturation. As a nurse it is important to not lead toward ethnocentrism. It may be difficult to accept that not everyone does things the same way but it is essential that a nurse keeps an open mind and does not believe their culture is the best way.

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