Farrell, Carole and Chan, E Angela and Siouta, Eleni and Walshe, Catherine and Molassiotis, Alex (2020) Communication patterns in nurse-led chemotherapy clinics : A mixed-method study. Patient Education and Counseling, 103 (8). pp. 1538-1545. ISSN 0738-3991
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Abstract
Objective: To determine patterns of nurse-patient communication in fulfilling patients’ informational/psychosocial needs, effects of longer consultation/operational aspects on person-centred care experiences. Methods: Mixed-method design; secondary analysis of transcripts of nurse-patient communication within nurse-led chemotherapy clinics in UK [3]. Purposive sampling (13 nurses); non-participant observations (61 consultations). Qualitative content analysis of audio-recorded transcripts. Quantitative analysis using the Medical Interview Aural Rating Scale [14] to compare mean differences in the number of cues and level of responding using one-way ANOVA, and correlational analyses of discursive spaces. Results: Nurses responded positively to informational cues, but not psychosocial cues. Longer consultations associated with more informational and psychosocial cues (p < .0001), but not nurses’ cue-responding behaviours. Four main themes emerged: challenges/opportunities for person-centred communication in biomedical contexts; patients’ “life world” versus the “medical world”; three-way communication: nurse, patient and family; implications of continuity of care. Conclusions: The challenges/opportunities for cue-responding in nurse-led chemotherapy clinics were evident for informational and psychosocial support of patients. Shifting from a biomedical to biopsychosocial focus is difficult. Practice implications: Further evaluation is needed to integrate biopsychosocial elements into communication education/training. Careful planning is required to ensure continuity and effective use of time for person-centred care.