The acquisition of professional interpersonal skills remains one of the key skills in the practice of nursing. Originally published in 1983 and as a second edition in 1994, this established book maintains that social skills can be learnt, and that patient care can improve by anticipating and preventing problems. The book shows how nurses can develop personally and professionally by actively learning social skills in preference to their haphazard acquisition in practice. Drawing on a wide body of writing, research and nursing theory each chapter concludes with reflective activities and self-evaluation tasks and is preceded by learning objectives.