Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses by Kathleen Underman Boggs, Elizabeth C. Arnold

From the Publisher

2007 AJN Book of the Year!
With practical guidance for effective interactions with clients, colleagues, and families, Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses, 5th Edition, is the definitive source on communication skills for nurses. The book combines proven communication strategies and nursing principles with psychology and related theoretical frameworks. Plus, the text includes numerous experiential exercises to critically evaluate their communication skills as well as those of others.

• Grounded in theory, the text provides a framework for gaining a theoretical perspective.
• Ethical Dilemma boxes appear in each chapter and highlight ethical dilemmas in interpersonal relationships.
• Critical thinking content promotes the application of critical thinking processes essential for effective communication in the nursing practice.
• Discusses humor, gender, and touch in Chapter 10 as important means of communication in interpersonal relationships.
• Communication with patients of all ages, patients with special needs, and colleagues increases awareness of the issues involved in communicating with patients and promotes successful collaboration with coworkers.
• Case examples and exercises appear throughout the text to promote understanding and discussion of topics in the chapter.
• Learning objectives, chapter overviews, and glossary focus the student on essential information and help them study for tests.

• Two new chapters on Documentation in the Age of the Electronic Health Record and Communicating in the Age of eHealth Technology describe how to understand and utilize the most current healthcarecommunication technology.
• Developing an Evidence-Based Practice boxes appear in each chapter and describe a current research study and how it connects to the concepts in the text.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Marilyn Sample, B.S. and M.S. (Indiana State University)
Description: This book provides current and relevant information to assist nurses in communicating with individuals, groups, families, colleagues, and clients with specific special needs. The previous edition was published in 1999.
Purpose: The authors' objectives are to provide a "theory and practice basis for interactions among nurse, client, and health care system related to each client's health and well-being." The fourth edition "has been revised to reflect current trends in health care...." The authors accomplish their objectives by updating the reference lists and revising the book appropriately. A new feature of this book is that each chapter ends with a box containing an ethical dilemma from the authors' own nursing experiences. The boxes, along with the various tables and numerous practice exercises add to relevance of this book.
Audience: This book is an important resource for practicing nurses, nursing educators, and nursing students. The psychosocial focus of the book presents various concepts and theories that are relevant to any practice area or clinical course in a nursing curriculum. The authors' credentials and their appointments suggest that they are credible authorities in the subject matter.
Features: The book presents relevant theoretical perspectives foundational to understanding such topics as self-concept, ethical decision making, the nurse-client relationship, and therapeutic communication. It devotes chapters to conflict resolution, the impact of a person's culture on communication and the concept of health teaching. Each chapter ends with the presentation of an ethical dilemma from the authors' own nursing experiences. There are also many realistic client case examples in most chapters which enrich the reader's understanding of the content. The pages of the book are formatted well and the use of various hues of blue in contrast to the white pages is eye-pleasing.
Assessment: This is a valuable resource containing the presentation of theory written at level that can be utilized by any nurse in any practice area. There is an appropriate use of photographs, tables, boxes, diagrams, practice exercises and case studies that help the reader assimilate the information and apply it to client situations and needs. The authors are correct to write a fourth edition in order to accommodate the need of readers to update their knowledge base due to the changes in the provision of health care.

Rating

5 Stars! from Doody

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents