EDITORIAL
Vol. 19 No. 2 July 2003
When did you last listen?
Here we are three years into the new millennium, surrounded by technology that has made life easier, or at least that was the theory. Why then is there evidence of so much stress and stress related illnesses and what skills, if any, have we lost along the way?
When was the last time you listened to someone, or indeed had anyone listen to you? The saying that a trouble shared is a trouble halved has much merit, and a trouble halved reduces stress, which in turn will impact on health outcomes, whether it is a headache or hypertension. Whilst hearing is done with the ears, listening is a skill which is learnt and involves the brain in interpreting verbal and non-verbal communication (Hargie, Saunders & Dickson, 1994).
A major detractor to listening in the modern world is the volume and constant exposure to noise. It is everywhere, from music piped to us over telephones or in shops, to ghetto blasters, traffic, lawn mowers, mobile phones and the sheer numbers of people. Coupled with the rush many of us find ourselves in, it is little wonder that listening has become a casualty, and yet at what cost? It is a key element in building trust and empathy into relationships and in nursing where therapeutic partnerships can impact positively on health outcomes, not listening can impact directly on the quality of nursing care provided.
I was recently asked to visit, in his own home, a patient with chronic wounds. Following introductions and the offer of a cup of tea from his wife, I sat down to carry out a nursing assessment before I looked at the patient’s wounds. A question relating to pain was routinely answered, but when I extended my questioning to the type, severity and location of pain, the doors opened. For the next 20 minutes I listened to the impact pain had had on the patient and his wife over the previous two years, despite having seen medical staff, allied health professionals and nurses from different care settings. This couple were not worried about the wounds, which they said they could live with, but the pain had completely taken over their lives, and yet no one had listened to them in their journey through the health system.
In her article on therapeutic relationships Caspasso (1998) provides an exemplar of how an elderly patient discloses information from her childhood and the impact this has on future health outcomes. I remember the first time something similar happened to me, my initial shock and then the feeling of sadness that the lady involved had had to carry such a burden on her own for so long. When was the last time you provided this opportunity for disclosure to the people in your care?
Counsellors are everywhere now, and this surely has to be a direct reflection of the fact that we fail to listen to each other. Nursing care is founded on therapeutic relationships, but these cannot develop without empathy, which in turn requires knowledge of a person built up by listening to them. Williams and Irurita (1998) in their qualitative research into therapeutic relationships call for more research into how nurse relationships develop and identify communication, of which listening is an essential element, as a key area of the partnerships.
I repeat my question. When was the last time you really listened to someone? Make the effort today. Listen to someone and you never know, they may listen to you. The potential is for one less headache, a good night’s sleep, one less heart attack or a healed wound; the possibilities are endless. Nursing is about partnerships, health and health outcomes - listening could be the key to improving them all and halving many troubles.
Jenny Phillips
RN, MA, NP™, MCNA(NZ)
References:
Caspasso, V. (1998). The theory is the practice: An exemplar. Clinical Nurse Specialist,
12(6), 226-229.
Hargie, V., Saunders, C., & Dickson, D. (1994). Social skills in interpersonal
communication. (3rd ed.). London. Routledge.
Williams, A., & Irurita, V. (1998). Therapeutically conducive relationships between
nurses and patients: An important component of quality nursing care. Australian
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16(2), 36-44.
