Caring Science Communications

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis:

This presentation will explore how Sister Simone Roach’s 6 C’s of Caring in Nursing correlate to the 7 C’s of effective communication, principles that can be applied to both internal and external health communications and telehealth. According to Roach, caring is the underlying concept that forms the basis of what nurses do each and every day. Care is defined as: “the vehicle through which nurses interact with patients and assist them to cope with suffering, to find meaning in their experiences, to promote health and wellness and to die with dignity” (Roach, 1997).

Methods and Results (informing the conceptual analysis):

The 6 C’s have a crucial impact on how patients experience nursing care, with communication being pivotal to the situation. The patient experience is a recognized indicator of the quality of care (Darzi, 2008), with communication being a major aspect. When communicating with others in person or virtually, do we demonstrate competence, compassion, commitment, confidence, conscience or moral awareness and comportment? The 6 C’s are very similar to the 7 C’s of effective communications -- complete, concise, considerate, clear, concrete, courteous and correct. The goal is for the communications to produce desired results such as a mutual understanding between the parties. To accomplish that, depending on the audience, it’s important to do the research and understand the needs, values, beliefs or psychology of the person or group you are interacting with to be effective.

Conclusions:

When applied in clinical settings and virtually, caring science communications increased the trust between the patient and health care provider and improved the patient's experience and overall satisfaction of the quality of care.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Caring science communications should be studied further to determine approach and effectiveness for diverse patient populations.