Communication can be defined as the transfer of information between the source and the receiver (Dougherty and Lister, 2011). In the field of nursing excellent communication skills are primarily interpersonal, as is the process of feelings, meanings and any information that is shared via verbal or non-verbal communication between two or more people. Effective patient healthcare communication is essential as it helps patients to adhere to their treatment regimens; it helps to contribute to the satisfaction of patients by contributing to their physical and emotional well-being.
When I communicate with patients and their families I ensure that I communicate in a way that they can easily understand, it is important also and to listen what patients and their relatives have to say to me so that I can meet their specific needs. Sometimes we come across patients that have limited communication skills they could be deaf/hard of hearing, I would then need to adapt my communication skills to meet with their individual needs. Some patients are not able to verbally express what they need this could be due to an ongoing medical condition. But by assessing their body language may show me signs of the problem that they are feeling, by the noises that they make like crying, moaning holding the part that is causing them pain.
Within the frame work of patient centred care, the concept of person centred communication is a central element that includes six crucial components; enabling the patient’s self-management, fostering healing relationships, responding to emotions, making decisions, exchanging information and managing uncertainty.
I would never tell a patient that I was going to do something unless I mean it, as the patients can then lose trust in me if I can’t follow through their request then I would always go back and explain to the patient. Promises to patients if made must be kept, other important factors are availability and responsiveness. Patients and their families become impatient and quite often angry when they feel that they are being ignored. Sometimes these feelings are not reasonable, but are justifiable. If a patient or their family make a complaint, and it is looked into thoroughly the communication process, timings are also looked at between the nurse and the patient. Patient care can never be inadequate I would always give 100% care to my patients.
It has been documented that as much as 80% of our communication is non-verbal. I would always pay attention to my body language, make eye contact with the patient and be mindful of my tone of voice when addressing patients and their families this can be a very stressful time for patients and their relatives so I would always keep my tone the same and offer reassurance at this difficult time. Patients may not always remember the names of the staff that cared for them, but they will remember how I treated them at this difficult time in their lives. Along with communication I need to ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times.
My aim in my career is to provide a high quality of health care that is free for everyone. As an Assistant Practitioner I will aspire to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism.
As an Assistant Practitioner I will no longer be assigned a mentor; therefore I will need to use my own clinical judgement when making decisions regarding a patient’s care. I feel confident that with the communication skills that I have learnt through my clinical placements that I will be able to communicate with the senior members of the team. I will be accountable for my own case load of patients, and I also have a better academic understanding of the many various conditions and treatments that are available to patients in my care.
I intend to maintain a high standard of communication throughout my documentation when completing patient care plans and writing in the patients notes. As the Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2015) underlines, Assistant Practitioners should take personal accountability for excellent record keeping. This needs to be clear, accurate, legible and completed in a timely manner, to support communication, continuity and decision making amongst health-care professionals.
References:
10th August 2015]
10th August 2015]
10th August 2015]
Royal College of Nursing. 2015. Record Keeping. [Online]. [Accessed 10th August 2015].
Available from
issues/record_keeping
Epstein, R.M. et al. 2005. Measuring patient-centered communication in
patient-physician consultations: theoretical and practical issues. Social Science &
Medicine. 61(7), pp.1516-1528.
Dougherty, L. and Lister, S. eds. 2011. The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of
Clinical Nursing Procedures. 7th ed. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
by
cathemsley51googlemailcom (student)
