Introduction

Nurse-patient communication is the axis of care provision, and thus requires specific verbal and non-verbal abilities. Training using cognitive behavioral strategies can help establish the appropriate therapeutic relationships of the nursing professional practice. These methodologies have been broadly utilized, and we used the Structured Learning approach which promotes behavior changes, including improvements in the feelings and attitudes. This article focuses on publicizing the practical application of a program for nurses on strengthening communication skills.

Development

The skills of interest were: Listening; Expressing value; Expressing compliment; Responding to the feelings of others; Responding to a complaint; Responding to anger; and Expressing affection.

Individual verbal and non-verbal behaviors were registered during the training sessions to acknowledge the absence of the desired behaviors, as well as number of trials needed to acquire the abilities of interest. In order to show the development of the program, registers of three of the seven abilities considered are displayed.

Conclusions

The training program provided the opportunity to strengthen the communication abilities of nurses, particularly around verbal communication. The resulting improvements will favor a greater identification and interaction between nurses and patients and will allow the design and execution of better plans of care.