Communication, Learning, and Teaching in Health and Social Care Essay

This essay delves into the critical role of communication within health and social care, specifically analyzing both clinical and learning encounters. The introduction emphasizes the importance of communication skills for healthcare providers, referencing the use of Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) to evaluate their effectiveness. The essay then presents two case scenarios: a clinical encounter involving a pregnant patient, Robin, in a cardiac catheter lab, and a learning encounter (though the details of the learning encounter are not fully provided in the provided text). The clinical encounter highlights the significance of establishing a strong patient-provider relationship, enabling shared decision-making and optimal treatment outcomes. The essay discusses effective communication techniques such as active listening, establishing transparent communication, and utilizing open questions, and reflecting on patient's feelings. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of communication in health and social care for improved patient outcomes and learning experiences. The essay draws on theoretical references and evidence to support its arguments, offering recommendations for improving communication practices within healthcare settings. The essay also emphasizes the importance of empathetic communication and sharing information with patients and their families.

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Communication, learning & teaching in health and social care
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Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Clinical encounter:.....................................................................................................................3
Communication in clinical encounters:......................................................................................4
Learning encounter:...................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................12
References................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction:
Communication in the domain of learning and teaching in health and social is considered to
be one of the most crucial elements since it enables the favourable interlinking between the
patient and healthcare providers. The essay presents the two case scenarios including the
clinical communication encounter and a learning encounter which highlights the significance
of communication in the clinical set-up. Generally, the profession of healthcare requires the
providers to have recognizable competence in the terms of skills such as communication
apart from other mandatory and critical skills required in healthcare [1].
Various institutions have developed formal assessment frameworks to compare the
effectiveness of the healthcare service providers which can be termed explicitly as Clinical
Skills Assessment (CSA). A notable implication that can be drawn with respect to health
encounters and learning encounters is the apprehension of the emotional context. This essay
aims to derive critical reflection into two different case scenarios characterized distinctly by a
learning encounter and a clinical encounter in which communication plays a key role. The
critical reflection on the two case scenarios has been comparatively analysed with explicit
references to theory and evidence [2]. The connection that is formed due to communication
between the patient and healthcare provider, and between student and teaching personnel in
healthcare profession has been presented here. The findings can also be collated to obtain
valid recommendations for inducing a transformative change in individual practices
pertaining to healthcare environment and individual practices which could further contribute
to the potential improvements in outcomes of health and learning [4].
Clinical encounter:
A proper and healthy clinical encounter is a necessity to improve the health conditions of the
patients. There is need to establish a strong inter-professional bond in the healthcare backdrop
so that shared decisions can be taken and the best available medical knowledge and skills can
be used to cure the ultimate service user. The cardiac catheter lab refers to the special hospital
room where the physicians perform tests and procedures for the purpose of diagnosing and
treating cardiovascular ailments. Any delicate clinical encounter in this space can make a
significant difference in the life and death situation of the patients [10].
The clinical encounter that has been considered for analysis in this essay comprises of
references to the case of a patient named Robin. Last year, a pregnant patient had been
admitted to the hospital and her case was considered to be delicate since she was having some

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cardiovascular diseases (CVD) that could be risky for her and her unborn child [29]. Robin
was taken to the cardiac catheter lab where all the necessary tests and diagnosis were
conducted to assess her health condition. The test was pretty challenging since she was
undergoing pain during the entire time. Her health condition had worsened since her delivery
date was fast approaching. After the test, her husband was explained the gravity of the
situation and the test results [13]. This communication helped him to understand that his
wife’s body was in a poor state so it could be risky for her to give birth to the child. The
entire episode was challenging for all the involved people in terms of emotions and medical
knowledge.
During her stay in the hospital all the proper cardiology procedure was followed and special
treatment was provided to her since she was pregnant. The medical team could notice a
positive change in her health since she was able to endure her pre-labour ordeal. She gave
birth to her child just after the 7th month of pregnancy. The baby was very tiny and
underweight but he was healthy. Both mother and son stayed in the hospital for some time
until her health condition improved [14]. The diagnosis of Robin’s health revealed that her
heart condition had strengthened and her son was also fit. Since an effective treatment model
was followed in the healthcare set-up, the maternal and fetal health was proper and sound.
Robin was discharged from the hospital along with her baby within a few days and they did
not experience any kind of health issues after the particular pregnancy complication that had
aroused in the initial stage [27].
This clinical encounter shows that a simple and effective communication between patient, his
or her guardian and the medical professionals is necessary to offer the best possible treatment
to the patient. Even though Robin’s condition was quite bad in the initial stage, the necessary
changes were introduced in the medical treatment that minimised the impact of CVD. She
still comes to the hospital for regular check-up along with her son to where necessary health
checks are conducted [28].
Communication in clinical encounters:
Communication in form of listening, and having a conversation is an integral part of
healthcare set-up. Listening is a formidable interpersonal communication skill and in the
clinical scenario, this tool needs to be effectively used since it can bring about significant
changes in the life and death situations of the patients [5]. Listening can be associated with

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the urgent requirement on behalf of the receiver to have perceptive capabilities. Some of the
prominent characteristics of effective listeners include establishing eye contact, appropriate
communication with patients through gestures and explicitly calm posture. Similarly
establishing transparent communication in the clinical environment is necessary for the
patient so that he can share his health-related concerns with the professionals [3].
The healthcare providers need to facilitate flexible opportunities for patients to communicate
their ideas and feelings through depicting attentive behaviour. Theoretical references to the
skills of listening in clinical communication encounters are largely reflective of the
significance of paraphrasing which enables the identification of any ambiguities in the
message communicated by patients. A simple yet understandable communication medium
must be adopted in clinical encounters so that the physicians are able to understand the
complex health condition of a patient. There should be no scope of doubt in the process and
necessary clarifications must be made in case of any confusion. A health exchange of
feedback with patients can help in the overall improvement of the communication process
[6].
In the case of Robin, since I was the cardiac catheter lab nurse there I had an open
conversation with her relating to her physical health. She described her pain in the chest
during the pregnancy phase, and the focused listening skills played a crucial role to monitor
her issues [8]. Furthermore, I also depicted favourable body posture which helped Robin to
be more comfortable while talking to me and she understood that I was interested in
everything she had to say. An open communication model and comforting attitude play a key
role in the medical sector since it allows patients to open up about their health condition [12].
Healthcare providers are often required to anticipate the thoughts of a patient in order to lead
them and incite a conversation. One of the common examples of showing positive
communication skill in the domain of health and social care is observed in the use of open
questions with binary responses which comprise of relevant questions that could help in
anticipating the thoughts of the patient. Direct leadership that is depicted by healthcare
providers in clinical encounters has been accounted for notable benefits for elaboration,
clarification and illustration of the intentions of the patient. Direct leadership could be
considered effective in scenarios where patients are subject to a multitude of issues wherein
the issue of utmost concern can be emphasized for guiding the process of communication.
Another notable indication of the use of leadership in clinical communication could be
observed in the example of indirect leading. Indirect leading comprises of prominent

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references to the outcomes of providing essential privileges for patients to control the
direction of communication alongside preserving their ideas [17]. In case of Robin, I was able
to apprehend that developing open questions could contribute to the development of leading
skills gradually with the acquisition of capabilities to frame relevant questions that can
provide a viable impression of the patient’s condition and ideas. Reflecting on the feelings,
message and experience of patients enable the nurse to anticipate the world from the
perspective of the patient. The identification of feelings of the patients in verbal and non-
verbal form could be assumed as profound benefits that could be facilitated by the reflective
practices of healthcare service providers. Reflective content pertaining to clinical
communication could also be accounted as an entity similar to paraphrasing since it involves
the summarizing of important highlights conveyed by patients [18]. The reflective practices
in communication enable healthcare service providers to obtain a credible impression of the
patient’s thoughts in case he is unable to communicate his feelings expressively. My
initiatives for communication in the case of the concerned clinical encounter case study in
context of reflective practices in communication suggest the use of monotonous words and
the use of certain words which were inappropriate for Robin. Therefore, it is imperative to
consider the remedial measures such as communicating intended parts from the reflective
outcomes to patients and using lesser monotonous words thereby depicting sincerity in
communication.
The healthcare service providers must understand the significance of timing the feedback
communication. In the concerned clinical encounter case study of Robin, an open
communication model was adopted since the delicate physical health of Rabin was shared
with her husband [19]. The health condition of Robin and the prevalence of the heart
condition were elaborately explained to him so that he would understand the health condition
of his wife and his unborn child in advance. The communication that was carried out with
Robin was also positive and friendly but the delicacy of her health was not revealed till her
since it could lead to stress [22].
Communication in clinical encounters could be enhanced on the grounds of the patient’s
flexible understanding of the novel frame of reference communicated to them. The
interpretation aspect in clinical communication has been associated with profound benefits of
expanding the scope of the patient’s perception of their feelings and ideas. The interpretation
was a cognizable communication skill that was used by me in the concerned clinical
encounter case study of Robin. Her initial frame of reference was directed towards her

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assumption of the nurses in the hospital as angels that are helping her in a difficult situation
and motivating her. I suggested her to join the nursing profession. Interestingly, Robin stated
that she would think about joining a Licensed Practical Nurses program after her baby grows
up and she receives the pre-requisite qualification [26]. The other necessary aspects of
communication in clinical encounters as validated by theory and evidence refer to the sharing
of information and summarizing of skills. The process of information sharing could be
accountable for the provision of flexible advice to patients in healthcare. Sharing of
information enables the patient to get acquainted with the approach followed by nurses in the
delivery of healthcare thereby obtaining a promising impression of the probable courses of
action that should be taken by the patient. The applications of information sharing and advice
can be explicitly observed in the case of patients that are experiencing crisis scenarios. In the
concerned case study of the clinical encounter with Robin, she was motivated throughout her
stay in the hospital by all the healthcare members. This was done so that she would not feel
depressed or worried for her unborn baby [30]. This communication model had a positive
impact on her and she was able to relax better in the hospital environment. Summarizing
skills have also been accounted as promising contributors to communication in the context of
healthcare. The summary of patient communication would enable to find the details and
effects of the message communicated by patients. Summarizing is a viable resource in
clinical communication for healthcare service providers which enables them to convey the
progress in identification of patient feelings and ideas alongside the problem-solving
approaches intended for them. Summarizing could be very well assumed as the concluding
stage of communication wherein new ideas are explored alongside the organization of the
existing ideas which are vague in nature. Furthermore, summarizing enables the patient to
perceive the effectiveness of healthcare service providers in understanding the messages and
ideas conveyed by them. Understanding Robin’s delicate health state helped the medical staff
to summarize the same to her husband at the right time. It was surely a very challenging thing
to do but it helped to make him prepared for the worst outcome [31]. Robin’s summarizing
skills during the cardiac catheter lab tests also played a significant role in this clinical
encounter since the medical team was able to design the treatment plan accordingly. Thus
utilizing patient ideas and views can enhance the communication model that is used in the
healthcare set-up.
Observation of the case scenario of clinical encounter involving Robin and reflecting on it
critically from the perspective of theory and evidence provides an impression of the possible

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promoters and impediments that are observed in clinical communication. Since I was one of
the nurses that took care of the cardiac catheter lab I was in constant touch with Robin. This
close proximity allowed me to minutely observe the changes in her medical aspects. This
aspect of communication played a key role to improve her health condition since the minute
changes in the health behaviour were communicated to the doctor so that necessary diagnosis
could be carried out. It could also be observed that my positive thoughts helped me to be
strong for Robin and her child [32]. I was able to communicate with her on various aspects
such as heart-related discomfort, and pregnancy complications. I never tried to postpone
discussion with her relating to her health condition. On the other hand, the hospital
environment was good and friendly for the patients including Robin. The profound enablers
for communication that could be observed in the concerned case scenario refer to the lack of
cultural and social barriers to communication and the provision of a friendly attitude towards
Robin upon arrival and departure in the hospital [25]. The initiatives taken by me for ensuring
that Robin was perceptive of my thorough involvement in the communication process and
willingness to listen to her ideas and feelings were also reflective of enablers for the
communication process.
Learning encounter:
The student nurses significant amount of time to receive theoretical knowledge on important
medical subjects. This learning encounter is crucial for them since they are able to grasp all
the theoretical knowledge that is covered in books. The learning and teaching aspect in the
healthcare set-up plays an important role since it could have a vital impact on the ultimate
encounter between the patients and students that dictate the clinical settings [24]. Learning to
effectively treat patients and adopting key approaches for their care is assumed to be crucial
for the learning and education of healthcare service providers. The following section reflects
on the case scenario of my encounter with a patient, Jane, as a student in the domain of
healthcare. Such experiences play a vital part to expose students to the actual clinical
scenarios. This experience helped me to understand the advantages and pitfalls that are
associated with communication in the healthcare context. Involving patients in the learning
experience of students is regarded to be a solid learning tool in the healthcare setting [16].
The patient under concern, Jane, who aged 26, was diagnosed with uterine fibroids which are
a unique case of benign tumors affecting the uterine tract of victims. She was admitted in the
hospital and was subjected to vaginal hysterectomy treatment for resolving the issue of

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uterine fibroids. Recovery from the disease was considerably intensive in terms of impact on
Jane which was complemented further by the complication arising from the surgery. Jane
complained about stinging pain in her abdomen while urinating which existed in her
condition prior to the surgery [20]. Therefore, she was admitted to the clinical education ward
where the doctors were able to communicate with her and obtain favourable outcomes in
terms of developing my healthcare skills. Since I was just a student then, I was pretty
apprehensive to ask her about her health condition. I thought that she would be offended
since I was not her concerned doctor but later on I showed confidence and started
communicating with her so that she could open up about her medical condition in person
[21]. However, it was imperative to reflect on the profound elements that promote the
communication among the patient and students which could be related to the profession as
well as beyond the scope of the profession of healthcare. Research studies have indicated
profoundly that learning encounters between patient and students have been characterized by
the lack of precise interpretation of the learning processes that are involved.
Referring to the critical reflection on the concerned case scenario of Jane and her interaction
with me should be supported by references to the role of patients and the impact of
relationship on learning outcomes. The impact of communication on patients could be
observed in the form of their self-empowerment which enables them to engage in open
communication with students. Students could be able to apprehend the profound implications
of practical experiences pertaining to illness and care alongside providing opportunities for
students to train in practical skills [22]. However, it is also imperative to consider the
possibilities of negative outcomes in the case of communication with patients for learning
purposes. The negative outcomes could be attributed to the ill perception of patients
regarding the aspects of student access to patient records as well as the concerns of discussion
on personal matters of patients. Furthermore, the learning communication could be hampered
by the factors of uncertainty and disinterest among students alongside excluding
communication between supervisor and students. The communication between Jane and me
was pretty casual at first and she was willing to share details o the first symptoms of her
health condition. I would say that a health patient-student relationship was formed in this
encounter since Jane was a young lady who wanted to share details on her condition so that
the diagnosis and treatment process of benign tumors affecting the uterine tract of patients
could be improved [23].

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The conventional guidelines provided by supervisors for students to perform the task relating
to healthcare helped me to focus on the subject. In case I deviated from the topic, soon I
focused on the medical aspects so that I could collect as many relevant details about vaginal
hysterectomy treatment. This practical learning experience was beneficial for me and I
believe that it would also add value for other students as well since they could get to
understand the healthcare set-up. The learning encounter would additionally allow them to
observe the functional aspects of the clinical environment [15]. The mutual relationship
between a student and a patient is responsible for dictating the performance of the overall
student learning. The existence of a mutual relationship between patient and student could be
observed as a viable indicator of improvement in the learning communication process.
This sort of a learning experience would allow students to garner promising insights into the
authenticity of the learning process from internal as well as external contextual perspectives.
While external authenticity is realized by students through participating in real world care of
patients, internal authenticity is characterized by the perception of an inherent association
with the patient and contribution to their care. In the concerned case of Jane, the elements of
external and internal authenticity were observed profoundly. Pertaining to my practice as a
student, I got the opportunity to participate in the clinical set-up and care for real patients. I
was also able to apprehend internal authenticity through my communication with Jane. I was
not only able to perceive that Jane could provide me material information regarding the prior
and post conditions of uterine fibroids but I also committed myself to the care of Jane in the
clinical education ward. My interest for learning ensured my frequent visits to Jane which
convinced her that I was interested in taking her care.
Theory and research studies suggest that communication between patients and students as
well as the outcomes of learning that can be derived from the encounters has been largely
associated with the implications of cognitive, emotional and socio-cultural aspects. Learning
is assumed to be a dynamic construction process that depends highly on the action,
comprehension, interaction and thinking of an individual. The use of communication in the
learning process could be apprehended in terms of the option for accomplishing precise
meaning-making. The outcomes of learning in the domain of healthcare can be subject to
limitations when the implications of knowledge construction do not include references to the
practical interactions with other people and the external environment in which the learners or
students have to perform their assigned tasks in the future. The relationship between role of
patient and learner in student learning in healthcare could be described as learning

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relationship and attending relationship [11]. The implications of these sorts of relationship on
the outcomes of communication between students and patients could be apprehended
cognizably in different scenarios. The learning relationship is characterized by the mutual
relationship between patient and student which create opportunities for active participation of
patient in the learning process. On the other hand, attending relationship is characterized by a
one-way relationship that depends on characterizing patients as passive participants and
subjects for training of students. Attending relationship could be accounted as a formidable
contributor to improvement in clinical communication. However, the dimensions of attending
relationship could not be capable of delivering the desired outcomes of learning encounters
particularly due to the lack of interactive communication. Learning relationship is
characterized by the development of mutual relationship between patient and student. The
mutual relationship could facilitate reasonable opportunities for promoting communication
between patients and students which is another profound motivator for learning
communication in a healthcare context. In the case of Jane, there was a mutual relationship
that had developed between me and her over time. The bond led to the promotion of valid
prospects to acquire beneficial communication outcomes that would add value for both of us.
Jane would be benefited since she would get knowledge on her condition post treatment of
uterine fibroids and the knowledge on her medical condition would act as a key source of
knowledge for students in the medical facility. This factor played a crucial role in motivating
Jane to actively participate in the learning process [9]. Her active participation was observed
in her willingness to provide comprehensive details regarding the symptoms she experienced
prior to the diagnosis, medications provided to her prior to the surgery and the conditions
recommended by physicians in charge of her treatment.
The nature of the relationship could be discussed further on the grounds of varying types of
interaction between students and patients. However, research studies have provided
substantial evidence regarding the importance of a good atmosphere for interaction that
would pave the path for a productive communication. In Jane’s case a good atmosphere was
established that made the learning process effective and fruitful. The favourable
communication model helped to improve the learning process and ultimate learning outcome.
I visited Jane on a frequent basis along with her family members [7]. I later found that Jane
and her family members were keenly waiting for my arrival on certain occasions. I also
ensured that my learning encounter with Jane was not limited to single visits in a day and so I
visited her on different occasions so that I could enquire about her present condition as

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compared to that during the previous visit. This factor was responsible for invoking a certain
bit of inclination towards development of a mutual relationship between her and me. The
mutual relationship between Jane and me could also be associated with the profound
highlights of two way communication. In the case of Jane, I was able to reflect on the
positive outcomes from our communication that involved not only discussions on the medical
condition of Jane but also on other issues beyond the scope of the medical profession. These
interactive communications enabled me to realize feasible opportunities in terms of the
patient’s understanding of the necessity of students to engage in practical studies rather than
rely on the instructions of supervisors. Some of the essential outcomes which I was able to
obtain from the learning encounter with Jane and other patients in the clinical education ward
included practical performance of various kinds of medical procedures which involved
examples of vital controls, wound care and taking blood samples. The communication with
Jane enabled me to accomplish a credible impression of the impact of disease on the life of
Jane. This factor could be accounted as a major attribute for ensuring my motivation to
involve myself comprehensively in the profession of a healthcare service provider. An
effective learning communication played a key role to enhance the learning encounter
between me and Jane in the healthcare setting [9].
Conclusion:
The role of healthcare service providers such as nurses and physicians plays a key role to
enhance the communication model that they adopt with patients. Since they always remain in
close contact with the patients, a thorough interactive model can help to accurately identify
the progress in their health condition. The essay presented here highlights the reflective
accounts of two distinct case scenarios which are characterized by clinical encounter and
learning encounter. The comparison between the reflection outcomes on individual case
scenarios presents the key differences in the same clinical setting. In the case of clinical
encounters, communication is a key since it largely focuses on the skills required for
communicating with patients. On the other hand, learning encounters were characterized by
the association of positive communication with the cognitive, emotional and socio-cultural
aspects validated through research studies and theory.
References