Effective Communication in Healthcare

This assignment delves into the crucial role of effective communication in healthcare. It examines various research articles that highlight the challenges and benefits of clear communication between patients and healthcare professionals. The provided readings explore topics such as patient experience, health literacy, communication tools, and strategies to overcome barriers in communication. Students are tasked with understanding these concepts and analyzing how they contribute to quality patient care.

“Evaluating the effectiveness of a communication between a health professional and
client(s).”
1. Identify the intended goal of the interaction from the health professional’s point of
view.
The pattern of physician-patient interaction during medical interventions is
necessarily required with the objective of exploring new treatment insights while attaining a
broader understanding of patient care requirements (Kumar, Kumar, Adish, & Reddy, 2015).
The regular change in patient care priorities necessitates the requirement of administering
various interactions enhancing mechanisms with the objective of configuring person-centred
approaches for improving the healthcare outcomes. A well-stipulated interactive process
amplifies the pattern of expression and positive emotions in the patient population that
resultantly facilitate the acquisition of goal-oriented patient outcomes across the healthcare
environment (Wong, Tscha, Messerli, & Semmer, 2013). The interactive processes between
the healthcare professionals and the treated patients enhance their psychological well-being
that eventually leads to the development of behavioural modifications warranted for
increasing the level of patient compliance to the administered treatment regimen (Keniger,
Gaston, Irvine, & Fuller, 2013). The interactive pattern between the healthcare professionals
and the treated patients improves their perception of respect that reciprocally improves the
health care outcomes as well as the length of patient stay in the healthcare setting (Pires &
Cavaco, 2014). The time-based improvement in the physician-patient characteristics is
necessarily required with the objective of enhancing the trust and confidence of the treated
patient on the medical decision-making process (Pires & Cavaco, 2014). The improved
communication pattern between the physicians and patients facilitates the training process
that requires implementation in the context of reducing treatment errors and associated
adversities. An effective communication between healthcare professionals and treated

patients reduces their predisposition towards developing burnout under the influence of
work/treatment stress (Pires & Cavaco, 2014). The systematic communication process
improves the primary healthcare outcomes and improve the pattern of treatment decisions by
the healthcare practitioners. The establishment of an effective communication process
mitigates the intercultural differences between the patients and healthcare professionals (Pires
& Cavaco, 2014). Analysis by (Ha & Longnecker, 2010) rationally reveals the requirement of
configuring a dynamic interpersonal relationship between the healthcare professionals and the
treated patients with the objective of systematically acquiring the treatment goals. The
concepts of patient-centred medicine advocate the effectiveness of doctor-patient
communication in terms of evaluating the expectations, perceptions and individualized
requirements of the treated patients (Ha & Longnecker, 2010). The establishment of an
effective communication between patients and healthcare professionals reduces the intensity
of their resistance against the recommended treatment interventions and motivates them in
terms of undertaking calculated decisions for the systematic management of their disease
conditions. Undoubtedly, an effective patient-physician relationship improves the level of
patient satisfaction in relation to the recommended therapy that eventually facilitates the
acquisition of goal-oriented treatment outcomes (Ha & Longnecker, 2010).
2. Critically discuss the communication skills used by the health professional. These
include verbal communication, including the way the HP introduces herself, the type of
questions used, the use of communication skills such as listening, reflecting back,
summarizing, the use of empathy and aspects of non-verbal communication.
The healthcare professional requires introducing himself/herself in an empathic
manner while concomitantly facilitating self-directed responses from the treated patient
(Rajashree, 2011). The verbal communication requires initiation by the healthcare
professional in a manner to evaluate the patient viewpoints and perspectives regarding the

disease conditions, treatment methodology and expected outcomes (Norouzinia, Aghabarari,
Shiri, Karimi, & Samami, 2016). The pattern of verbal communication must effectively
mitigate the colloquial differences between the patient and the treating healthcare
professional. The systematic initiation of verbal communication must also subside the pattern
of gender and cultural differences between the healthcare professional and patient with the
objective of improving healthcare outcomes (Norouzinia, Aghabarari, Shiri, Karimi, &
Samami, 2016). The verbal communication method adopted by the healthcare professionals
must encourage the participation of patient’s family members in the interactive process. This
will eventually improve the comfort level of the treated patient and reduce his/her reluctance
in sharing the individualized requirements and healthcare challenges experienced in the
clinical setting (Norouzinia, Aghabarari, Shiri, Karimi, & Samami, 2016). The type of
questions asked by the healthcare professionals must motivate the treated patient in terms of
thoroughly sharing his/her healthcare experience during the entire length of stay in the
hospital setting. For example, questions related to healthcare experience might address the
type of support the patient acquired during the administration of treatment interventions
(Lang, 2012). The question related to pain management needs to be framed in a manner to
investigate the psychosocial and physical support attained by the patient for effectively
mitigating the pain intensity and associated psychosomatic complications (Lang, 2012).
Verbal questions also require investigating the pattern of pharmacotherapeutic management
and associated deficits. Healthcare professionals need to inquire regarding the adverse events
experienced by the treated patients in the healthcare setting (Lang, 2012). Questions must
also be framed in a manner to understand and evaluate patient’s perception regarding the
cost-effectiveness of administered therapeutic interventions (Lang, 2012). This will indeed
facilitate the systematic analysis of the cost implications that could potentially restrain the
administration of qualitative healthcare interventions to the treated patients. The healthcare

professionals must attentively listen to the responses by the treated patients and must not
interrupt them while undertaking the communication process (Jahromi, Tabatabaee, Abdar, &
Rajabi, 2016). The healthcare professionals need to identify and evaluate the feeling, intent
and content of the speaker while consistently exhibiting interest through the utilization of
verbal and non-verbal cues. This will substantially motivate the patient in terms of actively
continuing the process of communication for the eventual acquisition of the goal-oriented
healthcare outcomes. The healthcare professionals must effectively utilize appropriate
posture, body movements, eye contact, attentive silence and facial expressions while
concomitantly reflecting back the content and feelings after intellectually summarizing
patient’s responses during the communication process (Jahromi, Tabatabaee, Abdar, &
Rajabi, 2016). Indeed, conversation skills and uninterrupted listening attitude of the
healthcare professionals positively influences the communication process and enhances
patient’s trust on the recommended treatment interventions.
3. Discuss relevant models and methods of communication
The communication method followed while administering primary healthcare
interventions utilise the reactive, preventive, proactive, promotive and individual based health
promotion approaches to acquiring the desirable patient care outcomes (Mahmud, Olander,
Eriksén, & Haglund, 2013). Empowerment based communication strategy focuses on the
enhancement of patient’s understanding of the healthcare information. This communication
approach guides the patients in accordance with their individual desires of healthcare
optimization for wellness enhancement. Interpersonal communication methodology
effectively utilizes motivation interview for effectively engaging the patients in the process of
their medical decision-making (Mahmud, Olander, Eriksén, & Haglund, 2013). Indeed this
methodology administers individual health counselling with the systematic utilization of face-
to-face verbal interaction with the treated patient as his/her family members. The

interpersonal communication method accesses the abilities and needs of the treated patients
with the objective of determining their motivation source (Mahmud, Olander, Eriksén, &
Haglund, 2013). Accordingly, the healthcare professional requires focussing on the
motivation source for accomplishing patient’s healthcare goals. Contrarily the group
communication method effectively addresses patient’s lifestyle related factors for health
improvement (Mahmud, Olander, Eriksén, & Haglund, 2013). This communication tool
addresses the various patient groups with similar healthcare requirements and motivates them
for undertaking physical training sessions in the context of improving their somatic potential
and associated outcomes. Information and communications technology (ICT) mediated
communication method facilitates the interaction of healthcare professionals with the
distantly located patients (Mahmud, Olander, Eriksén, & Haglund, 2013). ICT method assists
the healthcare professional in terms of enhancing patient’s knowledge regarding
cardiovascular conditions, smoking cessation, stress mitigation and dietary and weight loss
related issues. This communication assists in disseminating information regarding hospitals
and local clinics, so that the target patients might contact them during medical emergencies
(Mahmud, Olander, Eriksén, & Haglund, 2013). ICT intervention effectively utilizes
television and internet as potential tools for improving the healthcare knowledge of the
patient population. The utilization of an empathic attitude during the process of healthcare
communication facilitates the evaluation of patient’s apprehension, religious beliefs,
perceptions and mental-status. The adaptive communication methodology promotes the
enhancement of health literacy skills of the treated patients and proves to be the cornerstone
of an effective patient-centred healthcare delivery system (Milford, et al., 2016). The
interactive communication approaches refrain the healthcare professionals from acquiring the
direct questioning mode while conversing with the population of interest (Kuehl, 2011). The
healthcare professionals must utilize facilitate response approaches while effectively

addressing the healthcare concerns of the interviewed patients. The systematic interpretation,
paraphrasing and repetition of healthcare concerns by the medical professional during the
interactive session are highly necessary for gaining the trust and confidence of the treated
patient (Kuehl, 2011). The utilization of an effective body language with neutral facilitative
phrases is highly recommended for evaluating the verbal cues and messages of the patient
population (Kuehl, 2011).
4. Where there are issues of distress or conflict, suggest other alternative or additional
skills and strategies that might be adopted.
The ethno-cultural variability in the treated patients leads to the development of
conflicts that potentially hinder the communication process and influence the pattern of
medical decision-making (Keer, Deschepper, Francke, Huyghens, & Bilsen, 2015). The
communication between healthcare professionals and critically ill patients is challenged by
several conflicts directed by life-threatening patient situations. The situations leading to
moral dilemmas, anxiety and uncertainty among the treated patients and their family
members consistently hinder the healthcare communication process and resultant outcomes
(Keer, Deschepper, Francke, Huyghens, & Bilsen, 2015). Alternatively, healthcare
professionals require improving their skills and capacity in relation to administering
culturally appropriate communication to the seriously ill patients in the intensive care units.
The cultural norms. The religious beliefs, language discrepancies and incongruent
perceptions of the treated patients results in the formation of serious conflicts that reduce
their confidence and trust on the recommended treatment approaches (Keer, Deschepper,
Francke, Huyghens, & Bilsen, 2015). The healthcare professionals therefore, require
configuring a therapeutic relationship with the treated patient after thoroughly analysing their
family structure and cultural practices. Most importantly, healthcare professionals require
effectively integrating the communication pattern with the healthcare expectations of the

treated patients as well as their families (Keer, Deschepper, Francke, Huyghens, & Bilsen,
2015). The evaluation of the state of mind of the treated patients and their family members is
of paramount importance while systematically configuring therapeutic communication for the
eventual acquisition of the goal-oriented healthcare outcomes. The therapeutic
communication requires administration in a manner to actively engage the patients in their
medical decision-making process (Keer, Deschepper, Francke, Huyghens, & Bilsen, 2015).
Healthcare professionals require compassionately addressing the personal care challenges of
the treated patients while concomitantly boosting their morale with the objective of
improving their self-sufficiency and independence. The effective mitigation of patient’s
ethno-cultural differences warrants the systematic enhancement of his/her awareness
regarding the adverse disease outcomes (Keer, Deschepper, Francke, Huyghens, & Bilsen,
2015). This educational enhancement requires conserving the religious sentiments and
emotional demands of the treated patient while effectively customizing the communication
process in accordance with these individualized healthcare requirements.
5. Summarise the appropriateness and effectiveness of the approach to communication
taken by the health professional.
An effective communication process systematically addresses the ethical concerns of
the treated patients (Rubinstein, 2014). Healthcare professionals must respect the privacy,
dignity and autonomy of patients while administering therapeutic communication. The
advanced directives for ethical communication require utilization by medical professionals
while undertaking face-to-face communication with the care seeker (Rubinstein, 2014).
Healthcare recipients require receiving motivational intervention (through an appropriately
administered communication process) by the medical professionals for their effective
empowerment in medical decision-making (Rubinstein, 2014). An appropriately administered
effective communication approach utilizes non-verbal cues for gaining the attention and

confidence of the treated patients (Berman & Chutka, 2016). Such an approach mitigates
patient’s negative apprehension and enhances his/her compliance to the recommended
treatment regimen. An effective communication approach leads to the sustained improvement
in patient satisfaction rate through the utilization of an empathic attitude as well as
interpersonal competence by the healthcare professional (Berman & Chutka, 2016). A patient
centred communication session systematically utilizes open-ended questions and provides
sufficient time to the healthcare seekers for thoroughly sharing their symptomatology and
treatment challenges (Berman & Chutka, 2016). Patients also acquire enough scope for
thoroughly sharing their perspectives and concerns. The patient-centred interactive process
increases patient’s awareness regarding treatment goals and expected outcomes (Berman &
Chutka, 2016). The sense of satisfaction attained under the influence of a positive belief that
arises after active listening to the patient’s concerns reinforces the pattern of a positive
interpersonal relationship between the patient and healthcare professional (Berman & Chutka,
2016). Resultantly the patient effectively collaborates with the treating physician in the
process of medical decision-making for the timely acquisition of the therapeutic goals.
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