Communication and Ethical Considerations in Healthcare Practice Essay

This essay delves into the critical role of communication in healthcare practice, focusing on a case study involving a 20-year-old Arts student named Kirra. The essay outlines strategies for establishing rapport, including empathy and active listening, to facilitate effective communication and build tr...Read More

Introduction
Effectiveness of healthcare practice is attribute to several aspects. Among them, one of the vital
aspects is communication which is crucial in every domain of healthcare. The essay will outline
the manner in which the counselor will develop rapport with Kirra. Further, the essay will
identify and comprehensively describe the communication strategies implemented to facilitate
effective flow of communication. Next, the socio-cultural factors which may act as barriers in
developing and maintaining communication with the client will be discussed. Ethical
considerations are also mentioned. Lastly, a detailed overview of interprofessional
communication about Kirra’s healthcare including who to refer, ethical considerations and
challenges.
Discussion
From the client details I gathered that Kirra is 20-year-old Arts student with no significant
medical history. She has good relationship with her family and step-father as well. She does not
have many friends. She is reluctant to consult with me but understand that her mood and weight
are impacting her well-being. I will use the approach of empathy to gain positive health
outcomes and efficient healthcare provision so that I can develop a trustful rapport with her. If
she will start to feel that I care about her, understand her, and concerned about her issues, then a
clear communication course forms to facilitate the individualized care. I will use her self-
awareness regarding her well-being to make her understand the importance of seeking
counselling treatment.
Kirra is experiencing physical issue of weight and eating and mental issue of mood and lack of
social support. I will initiate the sessions by not only focusing on improving her health outcomes
but also giving significance to her way of life (Morrissey & Callaghan, 2011). It will help in
developing trust between us as it stresses the importance of recognizing the individuality of the
person through effective communication and examination of her needs. I will maintain an
understanding, empathetic behavior throughout the sessions. I will ensure that she do not feel
being judged. By being empathetic, I will make Kirra feel relatable which can give me access to
her true feelings and thought process and she may find talking about her issues easy particularly,
her father’s drinking issues. One of the challenges to good communication is not listening

effectively to the patient (Pazargadi, Renani, Molazem, Khoshknab, & Moghadam, 2015). I will
make sure that I start the conversation only after Kirra is comfortable. I will try to improve my
body language and mannerism to show my interest in what she is saying. I will refrain from
interrupting Kirra while she is expressing herself. I will allow and encourage her to speak
without disruption. I will aim to build a sense that I am really listening to her talk and have an
understanding of her concerns. I will try to make it like a dialogue between me her which is
driven towards the common goal (Berman & Chutka, 2016).
I may experience challenge difficulty in eliciting information from Kirra. Resistance from
patient’s side to disclose their concerns and share information is very commonly observed in the
practice. I will use my information retrieval skills by asking questions in an open and non-
judgemental manner to build frankness with Kirra. I will identify the response, give adequate
time for complete display of emotions. I will actively and quietly listen to her talk. I will be
aware of my body language so as not do dissuade Kirra from revealing information.
I will ensure that Kirra must perceive herself as a full participant during the discussions and not
simply a recipient of information. It may help her in boosting self-confidence which research
suggests can play an important role in patients' perception in their healing process. I will ensure
that I do not discourage Kirra from expressing her concerns and expectations. I understand that
the negative influence of such behaviour and the subsequent communication can prevent Kirra
from expressing her need for information and clarifications.
Since, Kirra is also facing mood issues due to possible emotional distress, information can be
given and taken through verbal as well as nonverbal means of communication. Nonverbal
communication is transmitted more subtly and can include meta-messages hidden in the matter
of the information being transmitted. Nonverbal communication is basically done via voice tone,
speech pace, body language, facial expression, eye contact, etc. (W.Y.Kee et al., 2017).
Practitioners should look for signs of patient’s emotional state in the nonverbal channels of
communication and he should decode them by evaluating the voice tone, eye contact, etc. to take
the communication in the desired positive direction. Hence the level of sensitivity of the
practitioner is another factor which can influence a communication as the practitioners who are
more sensitive can easily pick up the patients' distressed emotional state which is frequently
conveyed in nonverbal means of communication even when the patient is not describing his

emotions explicitly. Conversely, the practitioners can also convey their own nonverbal responses
to patients' distressed emotional states unknowingly. So, I can reveal negative attitude, via
nonverbal channels such as voice tone, integrated in the word choice, to Kirra. It can discourage
her from revealing their issues and sharing information which can inhibit the communication. If I
will give an open and free environment enabling the conversation about psychosocial issues,
Kirra will be open to discussions and act like partner in healthcare by asking more questions and
voicing her opinions (Williams, 2008). Therefore, it is important that I keep an open-mind and
non-judgemental attitude while interacting with Kirra.
The ethnicity and socio-economic status also influence the communication between care
provider and patients suffering from emotional distress. Patients from minority group tend to
engage less than non-minority group patients. There are chances that they may face ethnic
prejudices held by the care provider who unknowingly integrated the racial stereotypes into their
analysis of patients and their issues. So, during the interaction with patient suffering from
emotional distress, it is important to be extremely cautious of unknowingly passing any racial or
ethnic judgements, as it can influence the communication in a negative way. Patients have their
own perceptions of a disorder from their past experiences or worldly views. Therefore, it is
important that I gain an understanding of Kirra’s social context, expectations, and experience.
His biological father is of Indigenous Australian descent, so I will be cautious to not pass any
racial or other judgmental comment unknowingly, that could stop her from talking.
It is essential that as a counsellor I include Kirra in planning and every stage of decision-making
of his healthcare course. Throughout my sessions, I will recognise and respect Kirra’s rights to
make decisions and choices. Another important ethical consideration is of a patient’s privacy. I
will ensure that Kirra’s privacy is not breached by having an open, honest and sensitive
conversation. I will obtain consent before the commencement of our session. I will usd the
effective communication skills by explaining the purpose, procedure and outcome of the
sessions. It is important the she feels supported in making her own decisions.
Provision of effective and holistic healthcare delivery frequently requires collaboration health
professionals from different departments. In Kirra’s case, I will communicate wit her GP,
dietician and mental health specialist. I will communicate with GP regarding the need of
conducting thorough investigations about Kirra’s weight so that it can be concluded there is no

underlying structural or physiological mechanisms responsible for Kirra’s condition. I will
communicate with the dietician to understand the current nutritional status of Kirra and the
nutritional requirements in her diet. It is essential that I communicate with the dietician Kirra can
have various question regarding her diet and eating behavior which she would expect me to
answer. Lastly, I would communicate with a mental health specialist to assess if there is need of
psychoanalysis to examine her mood and other issues of social exclusion and withdrawn from
her leisure activities. While communicating all these referral communications, I will take care of
certain ethical considerations. I will ensure that I do not reveal any personal or sensitive
information to these health professionals without obtaining her consent. During my sessions with
her she may communicate her personal information, which I must not share in the referral
communications as patient’s personal information is regarded as sensitive information.
Protecting Kirra’s personal information is legally and ethically binding to me. During
interprofessional communication, I may face the issue of keeping confidentiality and at the same
time providing full picture of Kirra’s case.
Conclusion
Good communication is a vital aspect in healthcare provision. It is essential that the healthcare
professionals use relevant communication skills while managing patients and catering to their
needs. Apart from communication strategies, the professionals must also focus on ethical
considerations and address the challenges in effective flow of communication.
References
Berman, A., & Chutka, D. (2016). Assessing effective physician-patient communication skills:
“Are you listening to me, doc?”. Korean Journal of Medical Education, 28(2), 243-49.
Morrissey, J., & Callaghan, P. (2011). Communication Skills for Mental Health Nurses. Open
University Press.
Pazargadi, M., Renani, H. A., Molazem, Z., Khoshknab, M. F., & Moghadam, M. F. (2015). The
Therapeutic Relationship in the Shadow: Nurses’ Experiences of Barriers to the Nurse–
Patient Relationship in the Psychiatric Ward. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 36(7),
551-557.

W.Y.Kee, J., gKhoo, H. S., Lim, I., & Y.H.Koh, M. (2017). Communication Skills in Patient-
Doctor Interactions: Learning from Patient Complaints. Health Professions Education.
Williams, S. L. (2008). Emotional distress among patients in primary medical care: Analysis of
physician -patient communication. Dissertation, University of California.