# Nurses’ Perceptions of Communication in an Oncology Hospital Care: A Qualitative Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how nurses in oncology hospitals perceive communication, identifying it as essential for quality care but hindered by challenges like staff shortages and lack of training.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the barriers and facilitators of nurse-patient communication in oncology settings from the nurses' own perspectives.

## Key findings

- Nurses view communication as central to building trust and delivering patient-centered oncology care.
- Barriers such as staff shortages, emotional distress, and inadequate training limit effective communication.
- Targeted training and organizational support can improve communication and care quality.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Nurses identify communicative competence as a core professional skill essential for fostering trust, addressing psychosocial needs, and ensuring high-quality, patient-centred oncology care.Significant barriers—such as staff shortages, workloads, emotional distress, cultural differences, and insufficient training in advanced communication competencies—limit nurses’ ability to apply these skills effectively.

Nurses identify communicative competence as a core professional skill essential for fostering trust, addressing psychosocial needs, and ensuring high-quality, patient-centred oncology care.

Significant barriers—such as staff shortages, workloads, emotional distress, cultural differences, and insufficient training in advanced communication competencies—limit nurses’ ability to apply these skills effectively.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Strengthening communication skills through targeted training and multidisciplinary support may improve both care quality and nurse well-being.Organizational models that support adequate time and resources for nurse–patient communication may enhance patient-centred oncology care and contribute to the broader advancement of contemporary nursing competencies.

Strengthening communication skills through targeted training and multidisciplinary support may improve both care quality and nurse well-being.

Organizational models that support adequate time and resources for nurse–patient communication may enhance patient-centred oncology care and contribute to the broader advancement of contemporary nursing competencies.

Background/Objectives: In the context of evolving healthcare systems, effective communication represents a fundamental skill for ensuring quality care and addressing the psychosocial needs of oncology patients. In line with the new challenges of nursing education, this study explores communication between nurses and oncology patients, analyzing facilitating and hindering factors from the nurses’ perspective within the hospital setting. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The interviews lasted from 15 to 30 min. The study population consisted of nurses working in the Medical Oncology units of the Regina Elena Institute in Rome (IRE). Data were analyzed using the Framework Analysis method by Ritchie and Spencer. Results: The sample consisted of 20 nurses with an average age of 33.5 years. Six main themes emerged: communication as the pillar of the care relationship between technical and human aspects, the need for a balance between closeness and personal protection, the influence of language and personalized approaches on communication, the stimulation of specific training needs, and barriers to nursing communication. Conclusions: Nurses recognize communication as an integral part of the care process and as a key competency for addressing the complex needs of oncology patients. However, inadequate training, time constraints, and staff shortages represent significant barriers, highlighting the need to invest in specific training programs and organizational strategies to improve the quality of care.