Analysis and Reflection for Effective Communication

Running Head: Analysis
Analysis and Reflection
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors Note

1
Analysis and Reflection
Analysis for Effective communication
One of the most important aspects of a therapeutic relationship is effective
communication. Effective communication helps the patient to feel the safe and quality of care
is enhanced with this type of communication (Arnold and Boggs, 2019). Effective
communication involves both Verbal and Non-verbal communication. Verbal communication
establishes a dependency with respect and integrity (Holmes and Parker, 2017). Non-verbal
communication is also very important as it helps in building a stronger therapeutic
relationship with care, tenderness and interdependence.
Physicians, nurses and caregivers should improve the therapeutic relationship with the
patients, especially in palliative care or end of life care treatment to make them feel
comfortable and free to ask any question regarding their health. Clinical integrity and
decision making rights of patient should be promoted throughout the treatment. Autonomy
and Justice are also very important in this type of care as the person does not know whether
he or she will be alive or not. Therefore, the doctors and nurses should execute the
responsibilities more sensitively, so that the patient will not feel isolated or disrespected.
This essay will discuss the effective and ineffective therapeutic communications
provided by Healthcare workers such as nurses and doctors to a patient who is having the End
of Life Care treatment. The above-mentioned context was taken from a movie name WIT
featured in 2001 directed by Mike Nichols. The essay will describe effective and ineffective
communication. It has to impact on patient’s psychology and will reflect the knowledge and
skills gap from the context of the movie.

2
Analysis and Reflection
The protagonist of this movie is a literature professor named Vivian Bearing who is
diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The doctor told her that she is in stage five and they would
like to commence an experimental eight months treatment to treat her. The doctor, Harvey
Kelekian is a prominent name in the medical industry as shown in the movie. The physician
has an efficient team including Vivian’s student Jason Posner. Susie Monahan is the primary
nurse of Vivian she would take care of her throughout the treatment (Wit 2001). There are
different evidence where physicians and the caregivers were involved in ineffective
communication by influencing emotional pain in her, during the conversation. For example
“how are you feeling today?” is the phrase which has been frequently used in the film to greet
the patient but the phrase is insensitive for the patient. This question was painful as for her it
is very insensitive to ask this question while she is dying.
Vivian Express that how she was asked about her health every day. The physicians
also asked her the same phrase after 4 hours of operation (Wit 2001). At a point of time,
Vivian told that she was tired of answering the same question again and again. One of the
scenes shows that Vivian replies that she was fine as an action of reflex. A scene of the film
shows that Dr. Posner was examined her and instructed his fellow doctors about Vivian’s
health. At that point of time, Vivian felt that she was used as a specimen for testing and
applying the existing knowledge of the doctors. While Vivian was taken to the isolation
room, she expressed that the assessment procedure was not a good experience for her. She
also expressed how she felt much embarrassed and neglected as Dr. Posner and his team not
even addressed her by her name. Throughout the film, it has been observed that Vivian
replied with her dry wit during the conversations with the doctors or in her soliloquies (Wit
2001). Vivian has expressed the distress she is facing during the series of treatment in the
sake of experimental diagnosis. The phrase became just like an enquiry for assessment rather
than a greeting. Her feelings towards that phrase transformed into disgust as she did not feel