The Importance of Communication Skills for Healthcare Providers

Throughout the semester, in this course as well as through the experiences I have had in the clinic, it has become exceedingly more clear that communication skills are equally if not more important for a healthcare provider than the education they have received. It is inherent in our human nature to trust those who treat us with kindness and understanding. It is because of this fact that communication skills are as vital to effective care as clinical skills in the practice of medicine. Balancing these two key components of healthcare is becoming more challenging each day in our community as healthcare is advancing and the demographics of patients in drastically diversifying. This strain on the field shows great opportunity for growth as a field but also opens the door for patients to slip through the cracks due to language, cultural or educational barriers. Medical providers, Optometrists in particular are being forced to adapt their practice models in order to accommodate this change. Best practice models are changing and communication is the basis allowing for this change.

Optometry is unique when compared to a field such as general medicine; as a field, optometry is relatively new to many people. The importance of optometry has moved beyond simply helping patients see better, to maintaining the health of the eye and working to screen for many other health conditions. Because its importance is becoming more understood and well known to the general public, the number of patients seeking treatment is growing drastically. As stated above this drastic growth is not only increasing the number of patients but also the number of places optometry is being practiced as well as changing the demographics of the patients being see...

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...best care for all patients.

Personal Reflection

As a future optometrist best practice is what I hope to achieve with every patient and I believe that the entire purpose to learning to communicate with patients is so we can reach that goal. Though I do agree with what Grol and Grimshaw said about the importance of continuing education and finding effective and efficient ways of integrating new techniques into our practices, I still believe that the most important aspect of best practice is communication with the patient. Like I stated above I would like to go back to Minnesota to practice and this assignment has made it clear to me that it is very important to leave school with the necessary clinical skills and knowledge but without learning how to communicate with different populations of people I will not be nearly as successful as I wish to be as an optometrist.