Therapeutic communication is a technique in which the nurse consciously influences a patient or helps them understand better by expressing their feelings through verbal and nonverbal communication.
Nurses use this technique primarily to develop a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship and determine the patient's essential needs.
Therapeutic communication occurs in two forms—verbal and nonverbal.
Verbal communication aims to exchange accurate, concise, and complete information using spoken or written words in a mutually understood common language.
In verbal conversation, the speaker must be mindful of their vocabulary, tone, pace, clarity, conciseness, timeliness, and relevancy.
In the healthcare setting, verbal communication occurs in two ways. It can be in oral form, such as two nurses sharing patient information, or in written form, such as emails.
In contrast, nonverbal communication is exchanging information through body language or expressions rather than words.
Various forms of non-verbal communication include eye contact, facial expression, gestures, sound, and posture.
For instance, a nurse may pat the patient's shoulder to reassure them. In this situation, the nurse communicates nonverbally through touch.
Communication is a lifelong learning process. Through therapeutic communication, nurses can collect relevant assessment data, provide education and counseling, and interact during nursing interventions. Sending and receiving messages occur through verbal and nonverbal communication techniques and can happen separately or simultaneously.
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal communication are as follows:
Nonverbal cues in communication, like body posture, eye contact, and voice intonation, are as important as verbal messages. The essential elements of nonverbal communication include the following: