Analysis of WIT Film on Effective Communication

Running head: ANALYSIS OF WIT FILM ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
ANALYSIS OF WIT FILM ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Name of the Student
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ANALYSIS OF WIT FILM ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION1
Communication plays a vital role in establishing relationships between people. Effective
communication is extremely vital in developing therapeutic relationships. To ensure that the
nurses provide proper healthcare to the patients in an ethical manner with proper safety and
quality, effective communication has to be applied by the nursing staff (Farrington and
Townsend 2014). Communication is important for nurses as it is the main tool for effectively
relaying and interpreting information to the physicians, the patients, the family members and the
caregivers. Effective communication includes both verbal and non-verbal methods for sending
out messages vividly and lucidly (Matusitz and Spear 2014). The present paper analyses the
effective communication methods in the film “WIT” by Mike Nicholas that came out in the year
2001. Further, the essay also provides a reflection of the gaps in knowledge and lays out the
plans for improving effective communication while providing nursing care.
The movie WIT stars Emma Thompson as Vivian Bearing, an English Literature
professor and is recognized for her immense wisdom in metaphysical poetry. Her life suddenly
turns upside down when she is diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer (WIT, 2001). She is
persuaded by Harvey Kelekian, played by Christopher Lloyd, a well-known physician to undergo
chemotherapy treatment in order to treat her disease. However, the team of researchers led by
Harvey employs ineffective means of communication that ultimately causes increased pain to the
patient than her real illness, as they are insensitive in their methods. She is frequently greeted by
the phrase “how are you feeling today?” as a form of greeting and to enquire about her condition
(Ozcakir and Bilgel 2014). Vivian then narrates how she felt on that particular day after hours of
operation that she had to go through. Vivian reflects on her past memories and compares that
with her current situation when she is asked the same question. In the movie, when Doctor
Posner with the team of his researchers asks her the same question, Vivian replies that she is

ANALYSIS OF WIT FILM ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION2
fine. Then Doctor Posner takes his team of physicians for a meeting. Vivian believes that after
her experience of teaching, she could contribute to existing knowledge. For example, in other
incident from the movie, when Doctor Posner takes an assessment of Vivian in an isolation
room, he asks her again, about how she was feeling that day. She has the same response that she
was feeling fine. Then she goes on to describe her feelings as well as her attitude regarding her
condition in the isolation room when the doctor left her after her assessment. Even that day,
Doctor Posner had asked her how she was feeling after the series of treatments she had to
undergo and then she was sent back to her room. Vivian describes her feelings that she was
distressed about the treatments that she had to undergo before Doctor Posner took over. In an
overview, of the communication that took place between Vivian and Doctor Posner, it can be
seen that the Doctor often uses the phrase how she felt that particular day which is met with the
same response from Vivian that she felt fine. The phrase has an automatic and spontaneous
response in the form of the word fine. The concerned individual is obliged to respond in a
manner that does not offend the party asking the question (Ha and Longnecker 2010). The same
criteria is applied to the patients as well, as they feel obliged to respond in a positive manner as
they do not want to disappoint the care taker and the doctor even if they felt ill or uncomfortable
in their situation (Bramhall 2014). This also reflects that the phrase converts into the form of
greeting and not enquiry. In that scenario, the patient is unable to express freely his attitudes or
any feelings to the doctor and cannot tell the exact distressing situation that he is going through.
Thus, it becomes an ineffective means of communication where there is no proper feedback from
the patients.
However, there are certain scenes in the movie where there is a portrayal of how effective
communication is important in proving nursing care to the patients. Nurse Susie is the one in the