Mediation skills for conflict resolution in nursing education

Abstract

Encountering conflicts among family members in hospital produces burnout among nurses, implying a need for alternative dispute resolution training. However, current nursing education pays more attention to counselling skills training than to mediation. The present report examines the fundamental concepts of mediation, including its nature, basic assumptions and values, and compares those with counselling. Its implications may open a discussion on enhancing contemporary nursing education by providing mediation training in the workplace to nurses so that they can deal more effectively with disputes.

Keywords: Alternative dispute resolution; Confidentiality; Counselling; Self-determination.