ABSTRACT

Background: It is well-established that a patient's ability to express their needs to health care professionals is a critical component of their care and a major role in their recovery; however, many patients face significant communication barriers during their stay in the hospital.

Objective: This project aims to find the best augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for nurses to be educated on and implement with their patients to facilitate better communication. AAC is unique because it supplements the patient's ability to speak while finding an alternative method to replace that effort that may be absent or lacking in function.

Methods: Pre-test/post-test design survey about the issues and AAC systems serves as a data collection. The survey will assess the baseline level of knowledge of oncology nurses. The educational intervention will focus on the two types of AAC systems; low and high technology strategies for nurses to use with patients with complex communication needs.

Results: Primary outcome for the project is to increase nurses’ knowledge on implementing AAC with patients. The secondary outcome is to improve communication for patients with complex communication needs and patient care outcomes.

Conclusion: Evidence suggests that nurses who applied their current communication skills and low technology AAC strategies are highly effective for patient care and recovery. Implications for the future are evident in need for more research as the resources were limited on AAC being used by nurse