Partnering with Patients: Importance of Effective Collaboration in Healthcare

Running head: PARTNERING WITH PATIENTS
PARTNERING WITH PATIENTS
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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PARTNERING WITH PATIENTS
The essay will focus on the significance of effective partnering of the healthcare
professionals with the patients to ensure quality care and patient satisfaction. The assignment
will mainly analyze a case study where a patient named William Taylor had described the
different positive and negative impacts of the care he had received from the different healthcare
professionals in different phases of his life. Different important topics would be discussed in
order to reflect effectively on the experiences of the patient. These topics would include person-
centered care, collaborating with patients in decision-making, importance of developing
therapeutic relationship, skilled communication and its impacts on patients and many others.
Gibb’s reflective cycle would be used as the chosen framework.
Mr. William Taylor is a 75 year-old man. He is highly vulnerable to fall and he has
experienced several episodes of falls that resulted in skin tear, bruises as well as cuts. He did not
want to visit the public hospitals for treatment of fall as he received poor care and attention from
the healthcare professionals there when he suffered from stones in his kidney. Moreover, surgeon
who needed to care for his wounds communicated insensitively with the patient making him feel
disrespected. However, he received very good quality care from the physiotherapist as he
attended to all his needs effectively. Moreover, the healthcare professionals who were
conducting iron-transfusion to the patient provided a person centered care to him, tried to
develop a bond with him, were empathetic and communicated with him throughout. This
behavior and approach satisfied him. Moreover, the professionals who conducted the pill-cam
incorporation as well as those who treated his diabetes type-2 disorder made him effective
partners in decision-making, educated him entirely about the disorders and the management
procedures. This made him more compliant with the treatment procedures. However, he had
mentioned one important incidence. The doctor who attended his father had conducted surgery of

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PARTNERING WITH PATIENTS
leg amputation without involving his father and other members in decision-making procedures.
This incident had affected the entire family largely.
I was quite surprised to see how different approaches taken by the healthcare
professionals while caring for Mr. Taylor had significant negative or positive impacts on his
health. I felt annoyed at the communication style of the surgeon and imagined how the
insensitive comments made by him could have hurt his self-esteem and would have made him
feel powerless and weak. I was even disappointed at the careless approach and insensitive
behavior exhibited to the patient by the professionals in the public hospitals. He was neither
attended and none of the members approached him to know how his pain was. This had resulted
in development of apathy of the patient towards public hospital professionals. However, the
approach taken by the gastroenterologist and professionals who treated his diabetes impressed
me. I got overwhelmed seeing how well they have partnered with Mr. Taylor and had
successfully educated him about the disorders, technologies, medications and others. This aspect
had made the patient satisfied.
I believe that the professionals who treated the patient initially were insensitive and were
not at all compassionate towards the patients. I have strong sense of compassion, empathy and
sensitivity. These values and beliefs had guided me from my childhood in any interaction that I
have with others in my life. These attributes had helped me to not be judgmental and in place
helped me to try to visualize the situations from their points of view. Therefore, I could
successfully develop relationships with others and everyone was fond of my kindness. The
healthcare professionals did not show empathy and compassion to William and the surgeon
spoke insensitively. These affected his satisfaction level and developed an apathy in him that
affected his help-seeking behavior from healthcare professionals. Other important values that I