Nonverbal Communication between Patients with Dementia and Their Nurses in an Elderly Care Institution.
- Author:
Myungsun YI
1
Author Information
1. College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea. donam@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Nonverbal communication;
Dementia;
Nurse-patient relations;
Geriatric nursing;
Qualitative research
- MeSH:
Aged;
Arm;
Dementia;
Eye;
Geriatric Nursing;
Hand;
Head;
Humans;
Korea;
Nonverbal Communication;
Nurse-Patient Relations;
Qualitative Research;
Shoulder;
Smiling;
Verbal Behavior
- From:Journal of Korean Academy of Adult Nursing
2009;21(1):105-116
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to describe nonverbal behaviors of nurses in communication with patients with dementia in an elderly care institution in Korea. METHODS: Conversation analysis was utilized to analyze the data which were collected using video camera to capture non-verbal as well as verbal behaviors. A total of 66 episodes of everyday conversations were analyzed using seven nonverbal categories: affirmative head nodding; illustrative gestures; patient-directed eye gaze; smiling and/or laughing; forward leaning; affective touch; and instrumental touch. RESULTS: Among seven categories, patient-directed eye gaze(94%) was the most frequently utilized among nurses followed by affirmative head nodding(67%) and forward leaning(67%), while smiling was the least used(32%). Affective touch was identified in 39 episodes(59%). Among them, the most frequently touched area was hand or handshaking(59%) followed by shoulder or back, arm, and face. There were wide differences among nurses in terms of using affective touch, ranging from 0% to 98%. Nonverbal behaviors were more frequently identified in effective episodes than in ineffective episodes. CONCLUSION: Actively utilizing effective nonverbal behaviors may help geriatric nurses in promoting communication and in establishing rapport with patients with dementia.
