Patient Centered Care and Effective Communication

Running head: PATIENT CENTERED CARE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
PATIENT CENTERED CARE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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PATIENT CENTERED CARE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Introduction:
Therapeutic communication, person-centered care, and documentation development are
three of the foundation principles of high quality and safe care to patients. These three aspects
are associated with higher patient satisfaction along with higher patient adherence to treatment
and ensuring quality care for all people. This assignment will discuss how healthcare
professionals can adopt such approaches to care for patients in order to provide quality and
evidenced care that helps to ensure better quality life. The case study of Chester has been chosen
to highlight the concepts in details. Chester Abioye is a young adult from Nigeria who is
presently working in Aldi in Australia and he is currently leading unhealthy lifestyle which he
wants to change. The nurse would help her to achieve his goals by providing her evidence-based
interventions.
Discussion:
Therapeutic communication can be explained as face-to-face procedure of interaction
mainly focusing on the advancing of the physical and emotional well-being of the patient. With
the help of therapeutic communication, nurses are able to provide support as well as information
to the patients that help them to understand the conditions of their own health and thereby
overcome anxiety and stress associated with their health (Hill, Hall & Glew, 2014). With proper
techniques of effective therapeutic communication, professionals would be able to establish
strong rapport with patients and develop close bonds with them based on trust and mutual
respect. Studies are of the opinion that therapeutic communication helps in facilitating client
autonomy, creation of a non-judgmental environment, help to infuse holistic development of the
patient, reduces risk and chances of errors due to miscommunication and many others (Weber &

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PATIENT CENTERED CARE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Farrell, 2016). Therapeutic communication also helps in strengthening the coping skills of the
patient and makes the patient feel motivated and empowered to be an active member in their own
care.
In the case study, it can be seen that Chester Abioye is of the Nigerian origin and the
communication conducted by the professional should align with his cultural traditions. Unlike
Australians who are mainly followers of individualistic worldview, Chester belongs to Africa
whose worldview provides much respect to family and community than individual (). Chester is
already seen to be highly affected by the absence of family and community and hence, nurses
should communicate with him in an empathetic manner making him feel that they understand his
pain and suffering of living alone. Moreover, Chester is not seen to be very health literate as he is
seen to adapt to unhealthy lifestyle and health behaviors that are impacting him. Some of such
old habits are lesser inclusion of green vegetables in diet. He is more reliant on carbohydrate and
starch containing food products like rice and meat. He also goes out directly into the sun without
taking any protection. Starch and fatty foods may increase calorie intake resulting in obesity and
lack of protection of skin under the sun might result in skin cancer, skin disorders and may affect
the patient through heat strokes. The nurse should be non-judgmental in her tone while
communicating so that the patient does not feel disrespected or judged because of unhealthy
lifestyle (Riley, 2015). In place, the nurse should show compassion of his present health
condition and discuss with him the negative aspects that might make him subjected to ill health
conditions. While teaching Chester, nurses should maintain indirect eye contact as per the
Nigerian style of communication and provide respectable gestures and body language that makes
the patient feel comfortable. The nurse should make him feel comfortable and try to develop
rapport with him through informal discussions (Campbell et al., 2017). When rapport is