Film Analysis and Reflection | Report

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Film Analysis & Reflection
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Part 1: examples of effective and ineffective communication portrayed in the film.
One scenario of ineffective therapeutic communication is seen in the case of Dr. Harvey
when informing Ms. Bearing of her condition. The doctor uses medical jargon and rapid talking
which makes it difficult for the patient to comprehend what he is saying. This can be seen from
the body language of the patient who was indicating that she was lost and did not understand
what was being explained. This ineffective therapeutic communication is based on the
widespread misconception that patients will adequately follow instructions from healthcare
professionals (Saqib, et al., 2018, p. 4). Another scenario of ineffective communication is the
tone and body language of the radiographer. In communication, paralanguage is an important
element in ensuring that the patient understands the information being passed on. This requires
that the healthcare professional needs use appropriate body language while at the same time
watch out for the body language of the patient. Body language is an important part of the
therapeutic communication process since it allows the patient to understand the information
(Foley & Gentile, 2010, p. 40).
Another case of ineffective therapeutic communication is the case of Dr. Jason who failed
to make eye contact with the patient frequently when communicating as a way of connecting
with the patient. Further, he fails to inform the patient what is being done especially when he
prepares her for a vaginal test. This left the patient anxious since he left her in the room lying
down to go and call the nurse. The role of eye contact is to assist the healthcare professional
check whether the patient understands the information communicated (Gorawara-Bhat & Cook,
2017, p. 443). This was missing in the situation since the patient was not connecting the doctor.
On the other hand. Dr. Jason demonstrated effective therapeutic communication by
greeting and smiling at the patient to break the barrier and establish rapport. He uses open-ended

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questions when assessing the intensity of the patient. Colaço, et al. (2016, p. 54) suggests that
this is a way of creating comfort and making the patient feel comfortable within the clinical
environment. This also leads to the establishment of rapport with the patient which in turn leads
to an improved therapeutic relationship.
Ms. Monahan the primary caring nurse has shown therapeutic communication skills in
several ways through developing an effective nurse-patient relationship. The nurse introduces
herself and Dr. Jason as she informs her of the vaginal test that is supposed to be done. In this
process, she gives a comforting touch and makes eye contact with the patient to keep her calm
and comfortable. Stonehouse (2017) suggests that the role of touch in communication is to allow
the nurse to communicate with the patient through creating empathy and showing the patient that
you are feeling her needs. Later on, the nurse is seen making observations and acknowledging
the feelings of the patient when she listens to the patient while holding her hand as a way of
expressing empathy.
Part 2: Reflection
From the case, I have realized that therapeutic communication is important in clinical
settings since it assists healthcare professionals to pass information easily to the patient. This is
based on the fact that therapeutic communication is supposed to be used to create an
environment that reflects the needs of the case. In this case, the multidisciplinary team needed to
communicate in a way that creates a conducive environment to meet the needs of the patient
(Maame, et al., 2018, p. 7). As seen in the cases where there was effective therapeutic
communication, the healthcare professionals ensured that the message was passed appropriately
to the patient which led to an understanding. For example, the nurse used a sense of touch and
the doctor was trying to build rapport which I feel are all geared towards meeting the needs of