Abstract:
Background: Therapeutic communication is communication between health profession and patient for the purpose of health care. It is essential for nurses since nurses spend more time with their patients. Poor therapeutic communication between nurses and patients results in increased length of stay, wastage of resource, patient dissatisfaction, absence of confidence among patients. It also may lead to wrong conclusion, diagnosis and treatment error. There is limited literature gab regarding level of nurse-patient therapeutic communication in Ethiopia. The aim of this study is to bridge this gab.
Objective: To assess levels of nurse-to-patient therapeutic communication and its associated factors among nurses working in west shoa zone public hospitals,2022.
Method: Institutional based cross-sectional study (Quan and Qual) was employed from September 29 to November 29 2022 at public hospitals in west shoa. Total of 249 nurses were selected in quantitative study and simple random sampling method was used. Pretested questionaries were used to collect data. Collected data was cleaned and entered into EpiData 4.0.6.6. version then exported to and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Data was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative result.
Result: Among participants 39.1% of them were practiced poor nurse-patient therapeutic communication. Most of the nurses have no planed for therapeutic communication. Nurses who not satisfied with their work practices 2.95 more likely poor therapeutic communication than those satisfied (p=0.005) AOR2.95(1.3-5.2). Nurses those worked in EOPD were practice 6.3 more likely poor therapeutic communication than those worked at OPD (p=0.001) 6.38(2.9-13.6).
Conclusion: This study revealed that nurse-patient therapeutic communication found to be poor. Work satisfaction, culture difference, work units, critically ill patient were variables that significantly affects nurses-patient therapeutic communication. It needs support of stake holders like ministry of health, health bureau, hospital administrators to implement and evaluate therapeutic communication to meet patients’ diverse needs. Nursing educators can also use this result to train nursing students to have competent future nursing
