Communicative Competence during Nursing Admission Interviews of Elderly Patients in Acute Care Settings

This study explored communication patterns between nurses and elderly patients during nursing admission interviews in acute care hospital settings. The sample consisted of 2O nursing admission interviews. Verbatim transcripts of these interactions and investigator-conducted individual participant interviews were analyzed. Findings indicated that misperception of speech events represented an important source of conflict in the relationship. Task-oriented communication approaches most often resulted in failure to explore the psychosocial needs of the elderly subject.