Communication Definition

Definition of Communication

• Communication is the exchange of ideas, opinions, emotions, information, and knowledge between a sender and a receiver.

Basic Elements of the Communication Process

• 1. The Referent: initiates communication between the nurse and others, involving sights, sounds, odors, time schedules, messages, emotions, and ideas.
• 2. The Sender: the person who delivers the message.
• 3. The Message: verbal and nonverbal information expressed by the sender.
• 4. The Receiver: the person to whom the message is sent.
• 5. The Channel: the means of conveying and receiving the message through visual, auditory, and tactile senses.
• 6. The Environment: the physical and emotional atmosphere in which the interaction takes place.
• 7. The Feedback: the message returned to the original sender by the receiver, indicating whether the sender's message was understood.

Levels of Communication

• 1. Intrapersonal Communication: occurs within individuals (self-talks).
• 2. Interpersonal Communication: interaction between two people, often face-to-face, commonly used in nursing situations.
• 3. Public Communication: interaction with a large group of people, such as giving a lecture to a room full of students.

Direction of Communication

• 1. Upward Communication: the process by which lower-level company employees can directly communicate with upper management to provide feedback, complaints, or suggestions.
• 2. Downward Communication: relaying important information from higher levels to lower levels of employees.
• 3. Horizontal Communication: communication among people, departments, or teams at the same level in an organization.
• 4. Diagonal Communication: crosses all organizational units and hierarchical levels, involving staff members of different departments interacting with each other.

Methods of Communication

• I. Verbal Communication
  • Oral: dialogue, discussion, telephone call
  • Written: memos, letters, forms, reports, papers, statistics
  • Electronic: facilitated by interface with computer, telephone, fax, internet, e-mail
• II. Nonverbal Communication: sending and receiving wordless messages

Communication and Communication Technology

• Email: sends messages and files over the internet, used for communication with colleagues or clients, sending invoices, and sharing text or photo files.
• Blogs: personal websites for sharing content, frequently updated, and interactive, allowing readers to leave comments.
• Vlogs: visual versions of blogs, recording thoughts, opinions, or experiences and publishing on the internet.
• Podcasts: audio-based forms of communication, recording and uploading audio online, allowing audiences to download and listen.
• Conferencing Technology: allows multiple people to communicate in real-time from different locations, using audio and video features.

Wearable Technology

• Examples: Smartwatches, Medical alert monitors
• Smartwatches: make communication quick, easy, and hands-free, responding to voice commands to answer questions, make phone calls, send meeting reminders, and take notes.

Short Message Services (SMS)

• Allows individuals to send brief messages or images through their smartphones, useful for quick updates or confirmations.

Forums

• Online platforms where people can post and respond to questions.

Benefits of Communication Technology in Healthcare

• Easy access to patient medical records
• Reduction in medical errors
• Greater patient care
• Improved patient education
• Reduction in cost

E-Prescribing

• Doctors provide medical prescriptions electronically and forward them to pharmacies.

Remote Patient Monitoring

• Monitoring patients from a remote location, collecting health data and securely transmitting it to the doctor's location.
• Allows doctors to effectively communicate with patients in case of emergencies without physical visits.

This quiz covers the definition and basic elements of the communication process, including the referent, sender, and receiver.