Describe factors which may influence communication and interpersonal interactions

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Task 3 – Describe factors which may influence communication and interpersonal interactions with particular reference to health and social care settings

Communication and language needs and preferences

Health carers communicating with patients who are hearing and visually impaired have effective ways of communicating. People who are hearing impaired use sign language to communicate with each other, however carers who don’t use sign language, find that using symbols can make a huge difference when communicating. For example using Widget Literacy Symbols and Pictorial Communication System symbols can help a hearing-impaired person make choices and can increase involvement and confidence. A patient who is partly deaf may be able to read and write so it is useful to carry a notepad to communicate with them.

There are two types of Communication passports; they are for people who have communication difficulties. Type 1 communication passport contains information about all aspects of a person’s life, this is helpful as it enables the person to make decisions and have their own say. Type 2-communication passport is information on the person’s health. This is useful as it keeps an up to date diary on the person’s health needs and can be accessed and changed at anytime according to their health status.

Types of communication aids are;

  • charts with pictures, symbols, letters or words
  • electronic voice output devices 
  • specially adapted computers

Hearing aids;

  • worn in the ear or behind the ear
  • body-worn, with an earphone in the ear
  • bone conduction, with sound conducted through the skull
  • CROS and BiCROS hearing aids: a CROS hearing aid picks up sound from the side with no hearing and feeds it to your hearing ear: a BiCROS aid amplifies sound from both sides and feeds it to your hearing ear
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Partial sight – low vision aids;

  • Closed circuit televisions (CCTVs) work by putting what you want to see underneath a special camera and the page appears enlarged on a TV screen.

 

Environment

When communicating with patients it is important to make sure that the setting is suitable. As a hospital is a busy place and can cause interruptions, which can distract both patient and doctor. Using a room where there will be hardly any noise can help concentration levels and cut out any interruptions. When communicating to a patient about private issues, you can only ...

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Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

This is a rather disjointed essay that sometimes wonders away from the focus of the question. It is supposed to highlight the factors that affect communication. Various factors have been mentioned but not always how this affects communication. There are some good ideas but it needs a few examples and a little more explanation to draw it all together. A good starting point. ***