How can you actively listen to patients' families?

1 What is active listening?

Active listening is a way of paying attention to what someone is saying and how they are saying it. It involves not only hearing the words, but also observing the tone, body language, and emotions of the speaker. Active listening also means responding appropriately, by asking questions, clarifying, summarizing, and reflecting back what you heard. Active listening shows that you are interested, respectful, and supportive of the speaker, and that you want to understand their perspective.

2 Why is active listening important for nurses?

Active listening is important for nurses because it can help you establish a therapeutic relationship with your patients and their families. By actively listening, you can show that you care about them as individuals, not just as cases or diagnoses. You can also gain valuable information that can help you assess their condition, plan their care, and evaluate their outcomes. Active listening can also help you prevent or resolve conflicts, address complaints, and manage expectations. Active listening can also enhance your nurse leadership, as it can help you collaborate with your colleagues, mentor your juniors, and influence your superiors.

3 How to prepare for active listening?

Before you engage in active listening, you need to prepare yourself mentally and physically. Mentally, you need to be open-minded, curious, and empathetic. You need to avoid making assumptions, judgments, or interruptions. You need to focus on the speaker and their message, not on your own agenda or response. Physically, you need to create a conducive environment for active listening. You need to choose a quiet and private place, if possible, or minimize distractions and noises. You need to maintain eye contact, use positive facial expressions, and adopt a relaxed and attentive posture.

5 How to overcome barriers to active listening?

Active listening can be challenging, especially when you are dealing with stressful, complex, or emotional situations. Some of the common barriers to active listening are: time pressure, workload, fatigue, bias, preconceptions, defensiveness, or personal issues. To overcome these barriers, you need to be aware of them and their impact on your listening skills. You need to acknowledge and address them, if possible, or seek help or support, if needed. You also need to practice self-care, by taking breaks, managing your stress, and maintaining your well-being.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?