Fundamental to successful nursing interventions is the community nurses' ability to communicate effectively with the people they come in contact with during the course of their work. Across all branches of community nursing, the knowledge and skills required to efficiently exchange information in an appropriate manner with clients, their families and other members of the interdisciplinary team are essential. Advanced skills in interaction, therefore, are crucial for the accurate understanding of information received from and provided to clients and their families. Moreover, successful communication exchanges facilitate the development and maintenance of trust and respect in the therapeutic relationship and during all stages of the caring process. Mutual trust between nurses, clients, families and other members of the interdisciplinary team, therefore, is an essential prerequisite for the development and delivery of a partnership approach when providing coordinated health and social services (Audit Commission 1989).