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Importance of communication within healthcare
Justify the need for effective communication in healthcare
Justify the need for effective communication in healthcare
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The Doctor
The movie “The Doctor” is a good example of how communications in the health field work to benefit not only the patient, but the doctor too. In this movie, the main character, also known as Jack McKee, is a heart surgeon. The movie begins by showing how McKee’s attitude towards his patients tends to be inappropriate. Jack jokes about his patients and laughs at their concerns. His home life is also a struggle; his relationships with his wife and son are falling apart. The movie takes a turn when Jack becomes suddenly ill. He begins coughing up blood. He meets with a specialist by the name of Lesley. Tests reveal that Jack has a serious tumor on his vocal cords. He has now become the patient. He begins treatment but the results are not what they expect. Along the way, he befriends a brain tumor patient by the name of June. She will teach Jack how to empathize. He will learn how to feel and communicate not only with his wife and son, but for his patients as well.
Communication plays a vital role in all areas of healthcare, yet its importance is often overlooked. Whether it is a doctor talking to patients about treatment options, or strangers comforting one another in a waiting room, communication is happening everywhere and almost always, we underestimate how important it is and how it truly affects our medical experience. In the movie The Doctor, this is exactly what happens, causing a whirlwind effect of emotions and learning.
Jack McKee does not know how to listen, let alone feel sympathy or empathy. He cannot communicate with his wife and his son is distant from him. Jack is more concerned with his job then his family. He forgets that they are people and they have feelings. He also forgets that the patients he se...
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...eelings too.
Upon returning to work, Jack changes his outlook towards his job, his coworkers, patients and his interns. He teaches his students exactly what it will feel like to be the patient. He was able to take his experience and teach others the importance of communicating empathy in the healthcare field. He is now able to look past his patients’ illnesses and treat them as patients with feelings and respect. The lesson he takes with him is was how important life is when we use the right communication.
This movie shows how important it is to communicate, not only in the healthcare field, but also in everyday life. Having empathy for a patient could change the outlook of their illness, as it could have with June. If doctors take time to apply these communication skills in the healthcare field, it can open doors to better diagnosis, and treatment of patients.
In her personal essay, Dr. Grant writes that she learned that most cases involving her patients should not be only handled from a doctor’s point of view but also from personal experience that can help her relate to each patient regardless of their background; Dr. Grant was taught this lesson when she came face to face with a unique patient. Throughout her essay, Dr. Grant writes about how she came to contact with a patient she had nicknamed Mr. G. According to Dr. Grant, “Mr. G is the personification of the irate, belligerent patient that you always dread dealing with because he is usually implacable” (181). It is evident that Dr. Grant lets her position as a doctor greatly impact her judgement placed on her patients, this is supported as she nicknamed the current patient Mr.G . To deal with Mr. G, Dr. Grant resorts to using all the skills she
As I was listening to Carol’s story, I realized that her story is one of many patients. Sure, she was lucky that her husband had advocated on her behalf when she was most vulnerable and she took over once she could but how many people could not? Juggling only two balls in the air becomes tricky once we name them “patient care” and “budget”. If we were to place Carol in an ideal hospital, would she have had the same expe...
Dr. Jey Arthur, of Sutter Memorial Hospital, is an idol when it comes to physicians within a hospital’s Emergency Room. During his shift, the entire atmosphere of the Emergency Room changes. Nurses become more interactive with their patients and the patient’s rooms are no longer filled with misery and hopelessness. From the second the patient is assigned a room, Dr. Arthur is constantly visiting keeping the patient well informed and up to date on what the physicians and nurses are doing and their progress. From my time shadowing Dr. Aurther, not a single patient had lost a smile when he left the room. Beyond the care of the patient, Dr. Arthur has established absolute order with those working in the Emergency Room. Dr. Arthur has made himself
Jamison describes another medical figure in her life that she referred to as Dr. M. Dr. M was Jamison’s primary cardiologist, a figure who is involved in some of the most intimate details of Jamison’s life. However, Jamison describes Dr. M by saying she, “…wasn’t personal at all” (14). Dr. M would actually record personal information about Jamison on a tape recorder, however, Jamison would hear Dr. M referring to her as “patient” instead of by her name. This example demonstrates that Dr. M was indeed putting in the minimal effort needed to keep her clients, however, no additional effort was put into the process of learning about her patients. Jamison says that, “…the methods of her mechanics [were] palpable between us…” (18). Dr. M would not even put any effort into disguising her lack of interest of getting to know Jamison. This atmosphere of apathy that is exuded by Dr. M naturally causes Jamison to retract from Dr. M, which creates an environment that is not good for cultivating
Communication is the key to any successful profession. A lack of understanding due to miscommunication to lead to harming the business causing losses. In the case of a physician – patient relationship it is not just the revenue that is effected but also the health or even life of an individual depends on effective communication where both parties understands each other.
In my life I have seen how even while speaking the same language there can be communication problems. Adding the inability to speck the same language and then the complexity of describing medical conditions, I can see how the situation could turn out poorly and cause troubling effects. This chapter has helped me better understand why the Hmon...
In the medical community there appears to be a divide between disease-centered care and patient-centered care. Both Charon and Garden, readily acknowledge this. Charon explains how although doctors can boast in their “impressive technical progress,” and “their ability to eradicate once fatal infections,” doctors often lack the abilities to recognize the pain of their patients and to extend empathy (3). Charon further adds that “medicine practiced without a genuine and obligating awareness of what patients go through [empathy] may fulfill its technical goals, but it is an empty medicine, or, at best, half a medicine” (5). Often, doctors fail to remember that their patients are more than just a person with cancer or a congenital heart defect — they are human, a whole person with dreams, aspirations, and fears. According to Charon, “scientifically competent medicine alone cannot help a patient grapple w...
Dr. Ellis, a physician in Duke University’s Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department, exemplifies excellent listening skills and stresses the importance of communication in healthcare to shadow students. He emphasized, “Your nonverbal communication is important in this field. As you enter a room, introduce yourself and don’t yell; you should treat the patient as if they were your own child or cousin.” Ellis keeps the mood funny and light hearted; as a result, patients trust his judgement. Likewise, Dr. Ellis simplifies all the medical terms –even those words or phrases considered common knowledge such as, IV and ultrasound. Nevertheless, Dr. Ellis is only one of hundreds of thousands of doctors. Even in the midst of Dr. Ellis’ communication awareness, there were several doctors and residents in the Pediatric emergency department that failed to even acknowledge their patients as they entered the hospital
Providing clinical treatment, education, and empathy while involving the patient in their care achieves a win-win situation for all. I have adapted my practice to address the primary needs of each patient; education and treatment are modified to attain the best outcome for every client. Segueing from the bedside to clinical research has permitted me to concentrate on the distinct needs of each patient; while allowing me to contribute to the advancement of science and treatment modalities. As I work towards obtaining my advanced practice degree, I have focused on the evolving changes in health care (Mudd, 2014, p. 2).
Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.)
Communication plays a major role in preventing and resolving behavior problems and enhancing your patient’s quality of life by allowing them to feel, even when they no longer know or recognize those around them that they are in the midst of people who care about them and are concerned about their physical and emotional well being.
After visiting my grandparents several times I began to explore the hospital floor. Although shy at first, I began to talk with the patients and better understand their situations and difficulties. Each patient had his or her unique experiences. This diversity sparked an interest to know each patients individualized story. Some transcended the normal capacity to live by surviving the Holocaust. Others lived through the Second World War and the explosive 1960’s. It was at this time I had begun to service the community. Whenever a patient needed a beverage like a soda from the machine or an extra applesauce from the cafeteria, I would retrieve it. If a patient needed a nurse I would go to the reception desk and ask for one. Sometimes I played checkers or chess with them during lunch break. I also helped by mashing their food to make it easier to swallow. Soon, however, I realized that the one thing they devoured most and had an unquenchable thirst for was attention and the desire to express their thoughts and feelings. Through conversing and evoking profoundly emotional memories, I bel...
In the provision of a high quality care, many factors influence the way it is provided; however, IC is crucial. A healthy work environment would result from open communication among the staff, it would increase the employees and patients’ level of satisfaction and sense of well-being. Good communication is the cornerstone for the IC, it is a complex process which requires to develop some skills to learn how to transmit some information. One of the most common factors leading to medical errors, are due to miscommunication, sometimes because the message is not clearly sent, and others because it is not clearly received or it is misunderstood (Danna, 2015). In terms of communication non-verbal communication must be taken into consideration as well; body language, facial expressions, use of space, and touch, entail conscious or unconscious movements and gestures, also impacts the communication among the staff and
I have explained three of the seven principles that I use while interacting with my patients daily. The three methods of communication were defined and explained how each is used in the healthcare setting. The communication method that works best on my unit was explained per my unit’s preference. The four-ethical principle regarding communication were explained along with how these principles and team communication affect patient safety. Overall, this paper has demonstrated why communication is important in the health care
I quickly saw what I had been missing as the physician began to interact with her. He bent down by her chair and introduced himself as loudly as he could. He spoke slowly and calmly. Afterwards we had a discussion of what I could have done to improve and why my methods were not effective. I learned each patient is different, depending on his or her age, disabilities, background, and experiences. These differences require the physician to adapt and recognize how to more effectively communication to ultimately help the patient. It was frustrating to accept that a simple conversation was difficult, but this only