It is essential that a nurse is able to demonstrate and practice professional communication, information provision and hand-off skills to provide a holistic approach to treatment and care of patients. Professional communication skills not only allow the nurse to provide different methods and tactics for communicating with patients of different needs and ages, but allow the nurse to understand and provide the best possible care and outcome for the patient. The provision of information and handover is another important point for nurses and refers to professional communication. Nurses must be able to obtain a detailed diagnosis from the patient through communication and then enable the nurse to pass on vital information to other doctors or nurses who take over to provide the best and correct treatments and care possible. The nursing profession requires a nurse to maintain professional communication, information provision and handover in order to care for the patient with the right treatment and provide the best healthcare outcome. According to Boykin “Caring is the foundation of nursing” (Boykin et al. al, 2011), and it is the responsibility of nurses to understand what it means to care for patients, which can be achieved through possessing professional communication skills. Not only does the inability to communicate affect the patient, but it also impacts how the nurse is able to do their job to the best of their ability. Smith and Pressman state that the Institute of Medicine has published reports emphasizing that “good communication is critical to ensuring safe and reliable nursing care” (Smith & Pressman, 2010). Poor communication skills can potentially be more dangerous to the patient and can, as a result, be life-threatening... middle of paper ......y.qut.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer ?sid =a25753c4-0b7a-4828-a385-14a0421c9dfe%40sessionmgr110&vid=2&hid=122.Vogel-Scibilia, S. & McNulty, K. & Baxter, B. & Miller, S. & Dine, M. & Frese III, F (2009 ). The recovery process using Erikson's stages of human development. Community Mental Health J. 45, 405-414. DOI: 10.1007/s10597-009-9189-4.Webb, L. & Holland, K. (2011). Nursing: communication skills in practice. Nursing education in practice. Retrieved from http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/1446976140?accountid=13380.Westhead, C. (2007). Perioperative nursing management of the elderly patient. Canadian Operating Room Nursing Journal, 25(3), 34-41. Retrieved from http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/274594603?accountid=13380.