A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge of Patient Communication Skills among Nurses in Selected Hospitals, Chennai

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of nurses regarding patient communication. Introduction: The present study was undertaken during the year 2021. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of knowledge of patient communication skills among nurses in selected hospitals and to determine the association between the level of knowledge of patient communication skills with the demographic variables of nurses. Materials and Methods: A quantitative approach and descriptive design were adopted for the study. The study was conducted in selected hospitals. The sample size for the present study was 100 nurses aged between 18 and 32 years. Non-probability convenient sampling technique was adopted to select the samples for the study. The tool used for the data collection was the Likert scale to assess nurse-patient communication. Results: The present study findings revealed that of most of the nurses 63% had inadequate knowledge, 18% had moderately adequate knowledge, and 19% had adequate knowledge. There was a significant association between the level of knowledge and demographic variables such as age, gender, religion, level of education, clinical experience in years, shift worked, and received any additional training in patient communication. Moreover, there was no association between marital status, working unit, and designation with nurses knowledge regarding patient communication skills. Conclusion: The results reflect that most of the nurses had inadequate knowledge and the level of knowledge depended on the level of experience and education.