Importance of Communication in Health and Social Care
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This paper explores the significance of communication in health and social care, focusing on theories, techniques, barriers, cultural influences, legislation, and the role of technology. Effective communication is crucial for building relationships, understanding patient needs, and ensuring quality care.
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2 INTRODUCTION Everyday interaction includes exchange of information or intended message from one person or entity to another through use of mutually understood cyphers or semiotic rubrics by some or the other form of medium. Language in particular is one such medium for communication that is important to every aspect of people’s lives. In context of health and social care it is essential to have good communication skills between the service provider and the user as creates a better health care environment (Gambrill, 2012). A well stablished communication ensures better understanding as well as better possibilities of establishing better relationships between the care provider and the user. In addition, care providers must learn and develop professional communication skills in order to understand the needs of the service user as well as explain treatment needs to them (Cournoyer, 2013). Communication is the key to understanding the physical and mental health status of a person in health and social care. This paper stipulates the significant factors that highly influence and relate to the process of communication applicable in health care services, effective communication skills and strategies for effective communication, dealing with inappropriate communication practices and their benefits along with the effect of culture, values legislation, and other regulations on the communication methods.
3 LO1 1.1 Numerous approaches for communication in healthcare have been suggested and it is imperative that an expert tailors them to apply in varying situations according to the individual needs of the patients. As suggested theoretical approaches are vital to the practiceofhealthandsocialcarefundamentaltheoriesare:psychodynamic, behaviorist, humanistic and cognitive. The psychodynamic theory deals with the association of psyche that relates the mind, feelings, experiences and thoughts with the dynamics that refers to instability of psyche. Also the theory assumes that the individuals live in two worlds simultaneously, an external that involves conscious and subconscious mind and an internal that refers unconscious mind. Thus assuming that one behavior is logical and purposeful and this influences his way of communication in health and social care setup (Brief, 2002). Whereas humanistic theory reflects on self-actualization, self-conception, honor, self- esteem and dignity believing that every human has a possibility of positivity (Gitterman, 2013). Humanistic approach thus centers on maximizing critical thinking and analytical optimism. In social and health care sector, doctors and nurses are trained to treat serviceusersinthemosthumanisticmannerbypracticingandincorporating communication strategies appropriate to the needs and situation of the individuals. Another theory which is of importance in health and social care setting is the behaviorist theory which holds the belief that behavior is principally based on learnt responses acquires from particular stimuli. This can enhance our understanding of language acquisition and assimilation (Brief, 2002). The techniques used in present day daily practices are derived from these theories and are a result of new developments and integrated techniques for better working pattern and better results. It is important for all the health and social care settings to incorporate and implement right strategies of communication to all the health care workers and staff. Further latest advances and techniques should also be incorporated for educating the employees. Such modernization of knowledge and skills will help the health care professionals to
4 deal with the demand of the dynamic world of communication and technology and the demands of needful individuals (Parrott, 2008). As a health care provider it is essential that thorough knowledge and application of various types of communication and the situations when these should be applied (Majchrzak, 2014).
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5 1.2 Several forms of communication techniques are present that can used in health and social care context these. Of these the most common form is verbal communication. It refers to word based communication that can be in a form or oral or written interaction and can be direct or indirect. The message should be clear, understandable, at a pace that suits the listener, and to the point so as to form and maintain effective care relationship (Greenhalgh, 2013). It is also important to identify the capabilities and incapability of individuals to be able to empower their shortcomings and difficulties in a way that health care providers can get cooperation from the person and can establish rapport. In a similar encounter that occurred at my workplace where a 65 year old ladySofíawith impaired vision and some hearing difficulties was brought to the hospital. She fell from stairs and had fracture in leg. Initially Sofia was scared, confused and would not respond to anyone. Because of her physical limitations it was difficult to make her understand. Being assigned as her care provider, I approached her calmly while speaking at a slow pace making her understand that she needed to be hospitalized for some time. While taking to her I used short command and simple words so she was able to understand and calmed down. She was then cooperative throughout her treatment. In the given case, Joanna was incapable of communicating due to physical, language and cultural barriers and inappropriate communication approach from the healthcare team increased her apprehensive behavior. In such cases other forms of non-verbal communicationcanbeusedlikethefacialexpressions,handgesturesandbody postures(Jacobs,2017).Certainaidslikesymboliccardsorpicturecards, communication boards or writing pads help communicating with patients with such difficulties.Thehealthcareprovidersneedtohavepatienceandgoodlistening practices by letting the patient talk or communicate at their own pace and by providing them with sufficient time to express their problem in ways they are comfortable with. Exchange of information becomes effective as a message flows effectively and clearly from one end to other and this reflects on how the message was conveyed.
6 1.3 As a part of providing good health care and social care services professionals frequently encounterinappropriatecommunicationpractices.Inordertoestablishgood communication practices and reap benefits from it one must resolve any barriers to communication that may result in misinterpretation in the professional practices. Culture and language are an example of such barriers, as seen in case of Joanna. Other than this her physical limitations compromises her communication skills and pose a limitation to the care provider. Understanding the other persons view is important in sharing information and also in decision making. While communicating with the service user and thefamilymembersuseofterminologiesshouldbelimitedasitcanleadto misunderstanding or a sense of being held from participating (Healy, 2014). Other factorssuchashandlingthepatientinformationwithcareandconfidentialityare considered as inappropriate practices leading to misunderstanding. In context to health and social care practices privacy of patients is a prime concern. There should be no breach in confidentiality of the records and information attained as it may lead to patient’slackoftrustinmedicalprofessionalsandmay beabarriertoeffective communication (Rowe, 2017). Health care professionals should regularly upgrade their knowledgeandskillsindealingwithsuchpatientsfromtimetotime.Alackof informationleadstocompromisedcare,servingasanotherhindranceto communication.
7 1.4 In case of Joanna and the patients from care homes for elderly in the BMC video, it has been observed that a better understanding towards patients with health care support needs and developing a sense of compassionate care towards them is an essential element required in nursing practices. Complex communication problems may arise unexpectedly leaving the care person unaware or unable to communicate with them. Joanna can barely speak English but is still capable of communicating and may be suffering from selective mutism where the patient fails to speak in certain situations. In such situations dealing with patience is important and the patient should be encouraged to communicate. Apart from this impaired hearing leads to lack of interpreting and understanding the commands on the patients end, therefore alternate methods of communication should be used and extreme patience is necessary to build strong trust with the patient (Ruben, 2016). Inpatientswithlimitedabilitytocommunicateverbally,numerousotherformof communication such as body language, sign language, lip reading, written format, etc. can be used. In cases where the patient has suffered physical and mental damage, for example in case of dementia or stroke, careful observation of the patient’s behavior is needed. Apart from this specialized communication techniques like Makaton language which is a combination of gestures and picture symbols can be used in cases where establishing communication is complicated (Jacobs, 2017).
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8 LO 2. 2.1 With respect to needs of people belonging to various minor communities and cultures, effective communication is the key to provide basic health care. Values and culture are the two factors that are highly influential in communication specifically in health and social care. These may depend on demographic factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, dogmas, educational and socioeconomic status, and etc. ‘Culture’ refers to collection of information, rules habits attitudes and beliefs or customs that identifies or differentiates agrouporpopulationfromanother.Suchdifferentiationisbasedonshared experiences, expressions, customs and rituals (Nkosi, 2011). It is essential to understand that people from different sub-groups for instance, Asian, have various approaches to communication. In Vietnamese culture people often rely on nonverbalcommunication,asmileconveysfeelingofrespectwhereaspattinga person’s especially some elderly person is interpreted as disrespect (Ngo-Metzger et al, 2003). Professionals working with such people should take into account of such cultural factors. Another aspect of difference in culture and values affecting communication is gender. Men and women have different ways of engaging as well as interpreting the communication process with others. A health care professional should be aware of such differences and be sensitive towards dealing with each patient according to their needs. One of the key remedy may be to be an active listener to understand the patient better. While younger people elderly people need to be dealt with compassionate care and by demonstrating more respect towards them (Sudhansubala, 2016).
9 2.2 Apart from factors like culture and values, communication is also affected by the existinglegislations,chartersandcodeofpractice.Theselegislationsandcodes reinforces the institutions and practitioners to trail such requisites as it becomes a legitimate requirement from practice point of view. Such reinforcements are based on the code of equality that keeps check on any kind of discrimination towards patients or health care workers in treatment and health care services. These laws serve basis of behavior of healthcare and social care professionals towards the patients and the way they communicate with the patients. Acting against the legislation will be unquestionably a precarious feature in the compliance of a virtuous communication practice (Ife, 2012). OneofsuchlegislationsistheDataProtectionAct1984thatemphasizesgood communicationpracticesinhealthandsocialcare.Itunderlinesprotectionof confidentiality of the information provided by the patients and use of this information exclusively for the purposes acknowledged by the persons involved. Leaking of such sensitive information may lead to development of mistrust towards healthcare providers. Certain rules are also made to provide equality and indiscrimination at workplaces. These factors are highly persuasive in influencing the communication practices in health and social care (Lymbery, 2007). The use of technical aids is also controlled by the rules and protocols to defend privileges of the organization, employees, service users and the general public (Burks, 2012).
10 2.3 In order to provide effective and efficient communication practices certain factors are reflectedessentiallikeeffectiveadministrativesystemsandrulesthatshapethe communication accomplishments and make it more suitable and significant. Health care organizationsneedtodeveloppoliciesthatwouldnurturegoodcommunication practices. These policies concern with the documentation, information storing system, ethical practices and establishing health care procedures and practices (High, 2015). Development of dynamic and advanced information systems is one such entity that ensures effective and efficient information transmission, in absence of which partaking of valuable information that may prove significant from healthcare point of view. For instance, at Ashleigh Court Rest Home, the organizational systems and policies are rigorously implemented. One of such policies to which the institute abides by is the Whistle Blowing Policy inscribed in order to comply with Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which was meant for protection of employees who were ‘whistle blowers’ against any malpractices in the institution (Sarangi, 2010). The policy states the guidelines regarding bringing into light any wrongdoings or suspected malpractices that they believed might harm the reputation of the organization, staff members, companions, residents or other person associated to the home (Jones, 2014). Another policy that is meant for protection of staff members and workers against bullying at workplace states that all the employees have right to work in a setting free from harassment, hounding or bullying from coworkers or organization.
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11 2.4 Health and social care workers constantly face challenging situation while doing their jobs, as every person is different and had special demands for health care. Therefore with the increasing demands of the patients it is essential to keep up with their needs constant efforts to improve skills and knowledge is required for better services. The establishment of technical aids along with communication gears can again help mend such development. In persons who are incapable of communicating, alternate methods by which communication can be enhanced in the health and social care setting can be applied: Deliver communication alternatives to persons with physical or mental disability Recognize the several barriers to communication and Develop policies that would curtail or reduce the barriers at an acceptable level; Educate employees about moral code and ethics regarding the communication practices; and Strict training and education to enhance health professionals knowledge about Ensuring effective interaction and efficient communication with patients based on their age group and gender. Itisessentialtomakeserviceprovidersunderstandtheprocessesandactivities involved in the complex communication process and teach them to be active listeners (Reamer, 2013). By incorporating the mentioned strategies, the health and social care professionalscanhaveanimprovedcommunicationprocessandthiscanfoster superior understanding and build better relationships between providers and users (Miles, 2011).
12 LO 3. 3.1 Various software and applications have evolved to assist professionals in carrying communication and informational activities in health and social care services. These applications include excel sheets, intranet, presentations, word-processing, and emails. These have critical significance professionally and help in completion of everyday record keeping and communication in organization. In my workplace I have accessed Care Planner software package that helps in keeping tabsofpatient’sappointments,automatedreminders,storingpatientinformation regarding medication, payments and remote monitoring of the patients. Also it has functions like setting the rotation schedules for the day and would provide for easy overview of daily roster. If these were handwritten they may lack standardization and difficult to interpret as well as slow to accomplish. It is therefore deliberated as one of the significant ICT software package that allows reduces the intensity of labor in making the documents. These ICT packages, allows for mathematical calculations making their work easier while the presentations makes communication better (Beresford, 2007). Another latest ICT in health and social care is the telecare via computer and telephone channels where the communication can be held without personal interaction. Computer aided software are capable of automated appointment prompts and monitoring client services at home (While, 2011).
13 3.2 The use of information and communication technology has prevailed the sector of health and social care as it brought with it numerous benefits and advantages to the organization,serviceusers,careprovidersandgeneralpublic.Benefitsinclude accuracy of records, ease of accessing the records at any time, less tedious and requires less room for record keeping. The information regarding the condition of patients is readily available to the professionals and this allows safe, up-to-date and speedy IT systems that helps them to use their time efficiently and also provides remote monitoring of the patients (Gillies, 2006). Information and communication technology also provides benefits of meeting specific health care needs, affluent supervision of treatment processes making the legislative practices more efficient and making the record keeping and documentation procedure easy and more accurate. On the other hand it also promotes independence, effective service delivery and better communication practices (Leathard, 2003).
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14 3.3 ICT demonstrates the chances for improving the activities in which the health and social careprofessionalsareinvolvedbyincreasingtheefficiencyinadministeringthe business, meeting the needs of the employees and the users, improving the quality of service and responsibility. There has also been dramatic improvement because the use of these technologies. To ensure cautious use of the technologies and limit its misuse in any form, legislations that protect the privacy, restrict unauthorized access to such information, and promote confidentiality of the patient have been brought into force. LEGISLATIONS To ensure use of the information and communication technology and prevent any negative effects to the society certain code and legislations exist both externally and internally to the company. These legislations govern the access to information and communicationpracticesinthefield.AbovetheseDataProtectionActensures restricted access and use of personal information of the patients limiting its use to benefit the client. Much of this data contains delicate personal information, medical records,histories,creditinformation,historyofmedication,andtreatmentplan. Disclosing such information is considered as breach of confidentiality. An additional legislation that is significant with regards to use of ICT is the Access to Personal Files Act, transcribed in 1987 that instructs considerations regarding access to personaldata, precisely the ones that relay socialservices. Of other legislations, Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 grants the right to access the medical information for purpose of employment and insurance purposes. Under the legislation, the client is entitled to reexamine the information before it is provided and if required can subject it for correction. Lastly Access to Health Records Act 1990 is a legislation that is concerned with the records that could be accessed manually. The legislation gives right to the client for
15 accessing the medical records in manual or electronic form and abides to keep the information confined to workplace and restricting the transfer of data or information about the service users so as to provide leaking of the information that are not under the consent of the parties concerned (Nkosi, 2011).
16 CONCLUSION Technology has fetched numerous benefits in the sector of health and social care concerningindividualneedsandprovidingthehealthcareproviderswitheasy management of client records and accurate documentation thus fostering a dynamic communication practice. Besides the current growth status, there is need for further improvementandenhancementofskills andknowledgetocommunicatewiththe patients. Also better ways of communication and development of compassionate care is essential to ensure better response and trust from service users. It is a prerequisite that health and social care sector identifies ways by which communication can be improved, so that the amenities can be amended.
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