'I couldn't even talk to the patient': barriers to communicating with cancer patients as perceived by nursing students

Lin, M.-F.; Hsu, W.-S.; Hung, M.-C.; Su, Y.-H.; Crawford, Paul; Tang, C.-C.

Abstract

Communication is closely related to safe practice and patient outcomes. Given that most clinicians fall into routines when communicating with patients, it is important to address communication issues early. This study explores Taiwanese nursing students’ experiences of communication with patients with cancer and their families. Senior nursing students who had cared for cancer patients were recruited to participate in focus group interviews. These semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed for content analysis. Among the 45 participants, about 36% of them never received any communication training. Up to 76% of the participants stated that their communication with cancer patients was difficult and caused them emotional stress. Subsequent data analysis revealed four themes: dis-engagement, reluctance, regression, and transition. Students’ negative communication experiences were related to the patients’ terminally ill situation; the students’ lack of training, low self-efficacy and power status, poor emotional regulation, and cultural considerations. The findings of this study provide a deeper understanding of nursing students’ communication experiences in oncology settings within the cultural context. Early and appropriate communication training are necessary to help students regulate their emotions and establish effective communication skills. Further studies are needed to examine the relationship among students’ emotional labor, communication skills and outcomes.

Citation

Lin, M., Hsu, W., Hung, M., Su, Y., Crawford, P., & Tang, C. (2017). 'I couldn't even talk to the patient': barriers to communicating with cancer patients as perceived by nursing students. European Journal of Cancer Care, 26(4), Article e12648. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.12648

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 1, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Feb 9, 2017
• Publication Date: Jun 28, 2017
• Deposit Date: Feb 13, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 13, 2017
• Journal: European Journal of Cancer Care
• Print ISSN: 0961-5423
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2354
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: e12648
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.12648
• Keywords: cancer; communication; nursing eduction; nursing student
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/869017
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecc.12648/full
• Additional Information: Theis is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lin M-F, Hsu W-S, Huang M-C, Su Y-H, Crawford P, Tang C-C. “I couldn't even talk to the patient”: Barriers to communicating with cancer patients as perceived by nursing students. Eur J Cancer Care. 2017;26:e12648. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.12648 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecc.12648/full This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.