Assessment of Nurses Knowledge about Therapeutic Communication in Psychiatric Teaching Hospitals at Baghdad City

Abstract:Background: Communication with the patient is an essential part and the common dimension among all nursing care. The nurse communicates with the patient in several ways and the most important one is the therapeutic communication and the nurse must learn to do it well.Objectives: study aims to assess knowledge of nurses concerning therapeutic communication, determine therapeutic communication levels for who works in psychiatric hospitals and find out the relations between the therapeutic communication and age of nurses, educational levels, and time working.Methodology: Descriptive study was carried out from 1-11- 2015 to 1-3 2016, the study was conducted in psychiatric teaching hospitals (Ibn Rushed &Al-Rashad) in Baghdad city. The sample of the study consisted of 48 nurses working in psychiatric hospitals selected according to the criteria of the study sample. A questionnaire was constricted by the researcher. It consist of (64) items. The content validity of the questionnaire was established through penal of 15 experts. Reliability of the study was 83% percentage data was analyzed by Cronbach's alpha.Result: the highest percent 52.1% for educational level was graduated from secondary nursing school; the experiences of nurses in psychiatric hospital, 45.8% are working for five years, the highest present is moderate level in therapeutic communication 64.3%.Conclusion: the study concluded that there were poor levels in nurse’s knowledge about therapeutic communication.Recommendation: The study is recommended to developing the teaching programs and training courses.Keyword: Nursing, Nurses, Knowledge, Therapeutic communication, Communication