Observation of nurse–patient interaction in oncology: review of assessment instruments

Abstract

The aim of this review is to identify assessment instruments that can be used for analyzing sequences and can be applied to research into nurse-patient communication in cancer care. A systematic search of the literature revealed a variety of methods and instruments applicable to studies recording nurse-patient interaction. The studies that were qualitative in nature offered valuable information on observational research in general, on procedures relating to informed consent and observational arrangements in nursing practice. The quantitative studies provided an insight into the content and structure of the interaction by describing communication concepts or by frequency counts of previously determined behaviours. Systematic research into interaction sequences was not found. However, some of the quantitative instruments identified could be adapted for this purpose. The complexity and time-consuming nature of observational research highlight the need for efficiency. For instance a combination of quantitative and qualitative instruments could be considered.

Measuring the impact of nurse cue-response behaviour on cancer patients’ emotional cues

“…Unfortunately, the literature suggests that nurses frequently miss emotional cues or respond to them with distancing behaviours [22]. Thus, developing a better understanding of the interactive nature of nurse-patient communication is important [23].…”

Investigation of Cancer Patients’ Information Sources, Information Needs and Expectations of Health Professionals

“…Hastaların beklentileri arasında bilgi, yeterli iletişim, emosyonel destek ve bakım gelmektedir. [2] Kanser tanı ve tedavisi zorlu bir süreçtir ve bu süreçte hastalar ile sağlık profesyonelleri arasında iletişim problemleri yaşanabilmektedir. [3] Oysa sağlık profesyonelleri ile hasta arasındaki iletişimin yetersiz olması tedavi ile ilgili karar…”

Medical communication and technology: a video-based process study of the use of decision aids in primary care consultations

“…The coding-frame for verbal behaviour was based on the Medical Interaction Process System [MIPS] [29], and the Roter Interaction Analysis System [RIAS] [30], both well established protocols for clinical communication research [31]. Utterances, defined as the smallest classifiable segment of speech [29,31], were the coding unit for verbal behaviour. Utterances were coded by mode of behaviour (e.g.…”