HLTENN036 – Case Study Assessment: Communication Skills in Nursing (TAFE-Style 2025/2026)

Unit and Qualification

Unit code and name: HLTENN036 Apply communication and interpersonal skills in nursing
Qualification: HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing – TAFE Queensland (adapted from TAFE case study templates)
Assessment type: Case Study and Short-Answer Questions
Assessment task: 1 of 3
Length: Equivalent to 1,200–1,500 words
Mode: Written submission via LMS (Connect)

Assessment Overview

In this assessment you will apply therapeutic communication and interpersonal skills to nursing scenarios involving people from diverse cultural, linguistic, and social backgrounds. You will analyse case studies, identify barriers to effective communication, and outline strategies to provide person-centred, culturally safe care while working within relevant legal and ethical frameworks.

Your responses must demonstrate understanding of the Enrolled Nurse scope of practice and reflect professional accountability, respectful communication, and collaborative practice.

Scenario (Extract Based on Mr and Mrs Barney)

You are an Enrolled Nurse working in a regional hospital. Mr Barney, an Aboriginal man, has been admitted with multiple chronic health conditions and is preparing for discharge. His wife, Mrs Barney, speaks Aboriginal English and indicates she feels confused about her husband’s ongoing care and wants a meeting with staff to discuss his health issues. She has experienced difficulty understanding previous explanations and feels that decisions are being made without fully including the family.

This scenario requires you to consider culturally safe communication, health literacy, family involvement, and the importance of partnership in discharge planning.

Assessment Tasks

Task 1: Perspectives on Health and Illness (Approx. 300–400 Words)

Using the scenario and your readings:

Describe how different people’s definitions of health and illness may influence their expectations of nursing care.
Identify two assumptions nurses sometimes make about health, illness, and people that can create barriers to communication.
Explain how these assumptions might affect the way staff are currently communicating with Mr and Mrs Barney.

Your response should demonstrate awareness that health is understood differently across cultural contexts and that assumptions can undermine therapeutic relationships. Provide examples that are clearly linked to the scenario.

Task 2: Culturally Safe Communication Strategies (Approx. 400–500 Words)

For Mr and Mrs Barney:

Identify at least three barriers to effective communication in this scenario, such as language differences, health literacy challenges, power imbalances, institutional mistrust, or past experiences with health services.
Outline four specific, culturally safe communication strategies you, as an Enrolled Nurse, could use to build trust and support shared decision-making. Examples may include the use of plain language, teach-back techniques, involvement of Aboriginal liaison staff, culturally respectful yarning approaches, or structured family meetings.
Explain how you would confirm that Mrs Barney’s information needs have been met and that she feels included in planning her husband’s ongoing care.

Ensure that strategies are practical, within the Enrolled Nurse role, and aligned with professional standards for culturally safe practice.

Task 3: Documentation and Interprofessional Communication (Approx. 300–400 Words)

Answer the following:

Describe how you would document Mrs Barney’s expressed concerns and the communication strategies used, in line with organisational policies and professional standards.
Explain how you would escalate the request for a family meeting and communicate this to the Registered Nurse and other team members using an appropriate structured communication tool such as ISBAR.
Discuss why accurate, objective documentation of conversations is essential for legal, ethical, and professional accountability.

Demonstrate understanding of clinical governance, accountability, and the importance of continuity of care.

Task 4: Reflection on Communication Skills (Approx. 200–300 Words)

Write a brief reflection on:

One aspect of your own communication skills that you would need to strengthen to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or other culturally diverse groups.
One action you will take, such as cultural safety training, clinical supervision, or self-directed learning, to develop this skill in line with professional standards and TAFE Queensland student expectations.

Your reflection should demonstrate insight, honesty, and a commitment to professional growth.

Effective communication in nursing is foundational to patient safety, therapeutic relationships, and equitable health outcomes. Culturally safe practice requires nurses to critically examine their own assumptions and recognise how power dynamics influence interactions with patients and families. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2023), nurses must practise in a manner that is respectful, culturally responsive, and responsive to the expressed needs of individuals and communities. Embedding culturally safe communication strategies within discharge planning and chronic disease management supports shared decision-making and reduces the risk of misunderstanding, non-adherence, and avoidable readmissions.

Assessment Conditions

Complete all questions in the provided written template.
You may use unit learning resources and approved scholarly references.
All aspects of the marking criteria must be met to achieve a satisfactory result.
Use clear academic writing and structured paragraphs.
Reference a minimum of five current and credible sources, published between 2018 and 2026, using APA 7th edition formatting unless otherwise specified.

Marking Focus (Summary)

Demonstrates understanding of definitions of health, illness, and their impact on nursing practice.
Identifies barriers and applies culturally safe, person-centred communication strategies to the scenario.
Shows awareness of documentation standards and structured interprofessional communication tools such as ISBAR.
Reflects on own communication skills and identifies realistic improvement strategies.
Uses appropriate academic writing and referencing conventions.

An Enrolled Nurse supporting Mr and Mrs Barney must first recognise that health and illness may be understood in holistic terms that include connection to family, community, land, and spirituality. If staff rely solely on biomedical explanations without checking understanding, communication barriers may arise and families may feel excluded from decision-making. In this scenario, using plain language, allowing time for questions, involving an Aboriginal liaison officer, and arranging a structured family meeting would help build trust and clarify expectations. Documenting Mrs Barney’s concerns objectively in the health record and providing an ISBAR handover to the Registered Nurse ensures continuity of care and demonstrates professional accountability. Reflective practice is also essential, as nurses must continually evaluate how their own beliefs and communication styles influence therapeutic relationships.

References

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2021). National Safety and Quality Health Service standards (2nd ed.). ACSQHC.

Durey, A., & Thompson, S. C. (2019). Reducing the health disparities of Indigenous Australians: Time to change focus. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1–11.

Levett-Jones, T. (Ed.). (2020). Clinical reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse (2nd ed.). Pearson.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2023). Standards for practice: Enrolled nurses. NMBA.

O’Toole, G. (2021). Communication: Core interpersonal skills for health professionals (4th ed.). Elsevier.

Taylor, K., Guerin, P., & Evans, S. (2020). Health care and Indigenous Australians: Cultural safety in practice (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.