Nurses' experiences of communicating with patients with aphasia.
Yujin Hur, Younhee Kang
PMID 34741499WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses described communicating with patients with aphasia as frustrating and time-consuming.
They often relied on caregivers for assessment and education, felt guilty about inadequate care, and wanted formal training and ward communication aids.
Key findings
01Nurses reported that communicating with patients with aphasia caused frustration, and they sometimes turned to guardians or caregivers instead of directly assessing or educating patients.
02Nurses felt responsible for communicating with patients with aphasia but also experienced guilt when they could not provide enough time or holistic care.
03Nurses wanted formal education and practical communication aids or gestures for use with aphasic patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only six nurses from one district were interviewed, all full-time, so the findings may not apply to nurses in other settings or employment types. The study reports nurses' perceptions and experiences, not observed patient outcomes such as safety incidents, satisfaction, or recovery. Patients with aphasia and their families were not interviewed, so their views of communication were not captured.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. Sigma Theta Tau International funded the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these nurses' reported frustration and reliance on caregivers as evidence that ward communication training improves patient outcomes. The study only describes nurses' experiences; it did not measure patient safety, satisfaction, or recovery.