Communication Methods in Health and Social Care: A Detailed Report

This report delves into the critical role of communication in the health and social care sector. It examines various communication methods, including verbal and nonverbal approaches, and contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of formal and informal communication. The report outlines principles ...Read More

COMMUNICATION FOR
HEALTH AND SOCIAL
CARE
1

CONTENTS
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1.1: Methods used to communicate in health and social care......................................................3
1.2: The strengths and weaknesses of both formal and informal communication methods........3
1.3: Principles of effective communication.................................................................................3
1.4: Potential barriers and how they can be overcome................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1: Methods of oral and written communication........................................................................4
2.2: Produce an oral presentation and deliver to an audience at appropriate level......................4
2.3: Produce a written communication that is appropriate for your organisational role.............5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
3.1: Discuss the benefits and potential hazards of using technology in communications for
organisations................................................................................................................................5
3.2: Discuss the benefits and potential hazards of using technology in communications for
service users.................................................................................................................................5
3.3: Explain the issues around data protection and how it is implemented in health and social
care...............................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
2

INTRODUCTION
In health and social care sector communication plays a significant role in improving the quality
of services offered to patients by making them clear about all the instruction and getting a clear
about the issues that patients are facing so that better treatment plan cam be created (Blackstone
and Pressman, 2016). The current report involve discussion about role of communication in
health and social care sector.
TASK 1
1.1: Methods used to communicate in health and social care.
The common methods used for communication are verbal and nonverbal communication.
Verbal communication includes presenting idea or information using spoken words and listening
carefully whether these are written or oral. On other side non verbal communication is about
transmission of message using body language, sign, symbol etc.
1.2: The strengths and weaknesses of both formal and informal communication methods.
The formal and informal communication both are necessary for better presentation of
information and also hold different strength and weaknesses. The biggest strength of formal
communication is that it is used by profession health and social care worker toward a patient
which remains clearer and avoided misunderstanding (Gianfredi and et. al., 2018). While its
drawback is that patients sometimes find it difficult to understand professional language. When it
is about informal communication the strength is that it ensures freely exchange of information
among health care workers. But weakness is that it do not follow any rules which may result into
spread of distorted information.
1.3: Principles of effective communication
The communication skills is crucial for health and social care practitioner for creating
future patient advocate. The communication in health and social care sector follows some
principles such as
 Effective communication remains bilateral
 Communication require better understanding for each message section
 Effective communication needs active listening
 Both verbal and non-verbal need in communication
 It requires better relationship in nursing for better communication
3

1.4: Potential barriers and how they can be overcome.
There are number of issues that can be found while communication due to person’s
ineffectiveness or environmental factor within health and social care sector (Ryan and
Kushalnagar, 2018). When there is a conversation between a patient and health care workers
barrier to communication can be found as
 Sensory problem to patient, in this case, worker must try to speak slowly and gove more
expression and lip sing to make the words clear.
 Lack of language understanding, Things can be make clear to patient by imitating, using
body language, touch, sign and symbol to explain information.
 Environment noise, Hospitals or care centres are full with many people so at that time one
must try to take patient at a space with less noise and explain them things more clearly.
TASK 2
2.1: Methods of oral and written communication
Written communication: It is also a essential form of communication highly required in
health and social care centres. This mainly includes methods like creating patient records,
writing prescription, creating report for test etc. are common form of written communication.
Oral communication: In health and social care sector, oral communication is essential to
ensure right delivery of health care services (Ruben, 2016). The most common oral
communication method used in health and social care centres are telephone, face to face
interaction, staff meeting etc.
2.2: Produce an oral presentation and deliver to an audience at appropriate level.
Here is my oral presentation which I am going to deliver to the health care practitioners
about importance of communication in health care practice.
Hello everyone,
Hope all are doing well!!
I’m going to talk about the importance of communication skills for a health care practitioner to
perform well. Everyone has to deal with the patients who have certain kind of physical
impairment, don’t have understanding about medical professional language and not have much
understanding about the native language. These in turn create barriers to communication and also
affect the service quality. So, to ensure that patients get the right understanding of message
delivered to them by health practitioner, it is essential to consider these things and communicate
4

accordingly by using sign language, avoiding jargon words, taking feedback etc.
2.3: Produce a written communication that is appropriate for your organisational role.
For being a nursing practitioner written communication are very much crucial as they
have to perform several functions such as writing the notes of current health condition of patient,
writing done the past medical history of patient, preparing record, emailing details to doctors etc.
These all require good written communication skills so that all the information must get
presented in right manner to the doctor or patient as well. This is so because nurse act as a
mediator for communication between the patient and doctor.
TASK 3
3.1: Discuss the benefits and potential hazards of using technology in communications for
organisations.
The technological aid in communication is very much helpful for organisations as it
provides benefits like quick exchange of information, use more pictures to explain information
and can also deliver information to larger number of people at a time using internet and computer
(Moss, 2017). On the other hand, it also has certain drawbacks such as hacking of confidential
data, system error can delay the process and not always remain reliable.
3.2: Discuss the benefits and potential hazards of using technology in communications for
service users.
With the advancement of technology, the communication quality also get enhanced, as it
provide several medium to transmit the information. The benefit it provide to service user such
as patient is that they get quick access to their report, can contact directly using mobile without
actually visiting the health care centre etc, But on other side includes drawback like absence of
health care worker may leads to misinterpretation of information, barrier in mobile network can
lead wrong delivery of message etc.
3.3: Explain the issues around data protection and how it is implemented in health and social
care.
The health and social care organisation are very strictly regulated by the government
using legislations as it holds confidential data of patients and suppliers which are required to be
protected from outside as it can be misused and can harm patient (Ruben, 2016). There are
number of issues that revolve around data protection like using unsecured medium for sharing
5

information, lack of availability of tool for preventing and eliminating the threat, lack of
understanding among staff regarding data protection.
CONCLUSION
From above mentioned information it can be said that communication is an effective part
of health and social care sector. As it helps in enhancing the quality of services by ensuring that
each action must move toward right direction with better understanding of all the consequences
and aspects.
6

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Blackstone, S.W. and Pressman, H., 2016. Patient communication in health care settings: New
opportunities for augmentative and alternative communication. Augmentative and
Alternative Communication, 32(1), pp.69-79.
Gianfredi, V. and et. al., 2018. Communication in health. Recenti progressi in medicina, 109(7),
pp.374-383.
Moss, B., 2017. Communication skills in health and social care. Sage.
Ruben, B.D., 2016. Communication Theory and Health Communication Practice: The More
Things Change, the More They Stay the Same1. Health Communication, 31(1), pp.1-11.
Ryan, C. and Kushalnagar, P., 2018. Towards health equity: deaf adults’ engagement in social e-
health activities and e-communication with health care providers. Journal of health
communication, 23(9), pp.836-841.
7