Reflective Diary: Analyzing Healthcare Communication Experiences

This report presents a reflective diary detailing three distinct experiences in healthcare communication. The first diary entry reflects on the author's initial interactions with a service user (patient), analyzing feelings of nervousness and the development of trust through effective communication, using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle. The second entry focuses on communication with a lecturer/assessor, highlighting the challenges of expressing concerns and the importance of confidence in seeking guidance. The third entry examines the use of technology in communication, specifically addressing a situation where a lack of technological proficiency hindered effective patient care and the subsequent development of an action plan to improve communication methods. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of effective communication in healthcare and the usefulness of the Gibbs reflective model for analyzing and learning from experiences. The author recommends using different communication networks to improve performance and patient care. This report aims to provide insights into the challenges faced by healthcare practitioners while communicating with different people and using the Gibbs model for a better understanding of their experiences.

Reflective Diary

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Reflective Diary 1: Reflection on communication with service user.....................................1
Reflective Diary 2: Reflection on communication with lecturer............................................2
Reflective Diary 3: Reflection on communicating using technology....................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Reflective writing is acknowledged as the effective process through which individuals go
through their experiences and determine what went well and wrong. Also, it daunts the
realisation upon individuals regarding what they have learnt from their personal experiences
(Tom, Ewan and Mitchell, 2017). Health care practitioners have to communicate lots of people
which provide them different experiences. Three experiences of the health care practitioner while
having interaction with others in the form of reflective diary would be described in the project.
For the expressing the experiences in most suitable manner, Gibbs reflective model is used
whose each stage would provide explanation on the experience felt by the individuals while
having communication with different people.
Reflective Diary 1: Reflection on communication with service user
As being the health care practitioner I have to interact with several people at daily basis.
Most among them are my patients. My own experience associated with the interactive session
with one of my patients explained below through the Gibbs Reflective Cycle:-
Description: During my initial days of practising in the hospital, my mentors have placed
me to work under one senior. Here, I have to assist the senior in their work and observe them
while having interaction with the patients and providing them treatment. After few days, when
my mentor got sure that I can individually deal with the patient then he asked me to have to
interaction with the patient without any support of the superior. This was very first time
experience of mine having an interaction with the patient at own level. At that time of having
interaction with the patient my mentor was available there who was observing each and every
activity of mine. Even though, the experience was completely new for me but still I managed to
handle the situation and communicated to the patient in the calm manner so that they can easily
share their problem or the reason of visiting the hospital with me so that I could diagnose the
issue and provide treatment accordingly.
Feelings: The overall feeling of mine at the time of communicating with the patient was
mixed. I was nervous as it was very first time of mine when I am dealing with the patient alone
but at the same time I was excited as I will get opportunity to learn something new and provide
best treatment to my patient. By observing my past performance my seniors especially my
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mentor was very much confident towards me as they believe I can easily manage the situation at
my level.
Evaluation: Every experience is consisting of both the positive as well as negative
experiences. The negative experience related to the same includes my nervousness which have
shown my patient that I am new for them. This has also created doubt in the mind of patient that
I might not be able to provide them good treatment. Whereas, after communicating with me for a
while my patient realised that even though I am new but still my knowledge regarding the field is
higher which has developed trust of patient on me. By observing me handling the situation with
the soft communication skill along with the positive behaviour, my seniors appreciated me a lot.
Conclusion: The overall experience related to the same was good as I was able to
execute the situational work effectively. The situation could be better or level of nervousness
could have been better if I handled the old patient of my mentor who I had been looking upon,
since past. In order to reduce my nervousness I have to communicate to the several patients at
regular basis so that I can get familiar with the similar kind of experience and develop my own
understanding of professional communication.
Action plan: In order to improvise my learning, it is highly important for me to
communicate to managers and take feedback from them on my performance so that I can take
required actions to improve my practice.
Reflective Diary 2: Reflection on communication with lecturer
The assessor is the one who monitors all the work performed by the individuals. These
assessors further provide suggestions to the individuals on the basis of their performance so that
they can attain growth in the near future (Vosman and Niemeijer, 2017). According to my
experience, my own interaction with the assessor related to my personal and professional growth
has been expressed as below through the Gibbs reflective model:-
Description: I indulged into interaction section with my assessors who have been
monitoring my past performance from many times. In this, interactive session I have to
communicated to the assessor about the issues which have been faced by me while executing the
work as per the health care practitioner. In this, I expressed my experience related to the new
patients, my nervousness while treating them, negative comments given by the patients as well as
other staff within the premises. My assessors have listened to each and every thing carefully and
then further shown their own experiences related to the same. Also, the assessor has provided
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adequate level of the guidance as well as suggestions to me on the same situation. With the
effective implication of these suggestions I can easily handle the same kind of situation and
develop myself in such a manner that would lead to enhancement of my personal as well as
professional growth in rapid manner.
Feelings: The overall feeling of mine related to the interactive session with the superior
was fine but still I was little bit nervous as I know that the assessor would evaluate the whole
scenario as well as performance and then provide me suggestions over the same. While, if it is
talked about the feeling of the assessors towards the same situation it can be said that they were
confident as they have already gone through this kind of phase many a times.
Analysis: The overall positive experience related to the same experience was that the
assessors were highly cooperative and understand all the things with the inclusion of my own
experience too. On the basis of this, the respective assessors have also given me many
suggestions through which I can easily improvise my professional performance (Monrouxe and
Rees, 2017). Here, it can be said that the negative experience related to the same was that due to
my nervousness as I was not able to express things to the assessors which have made the person
unaware about the situation that have also troubled me and also influenced my performance in
the negative manner.
Conclusion: The same could have been better if I would have communicated to the
assessor openly and expressed each phase to them related to the same. In order to develop the
same I have to develop level of confidence in me that would lead to bring success to me in the
near future (Hem and et. al., 2018).
Action plan: In order to tackle the similar kind of situation I would sure express all of
my experience to the assessor with confidence so that they can easily understand whole things in
better manner and also provide me better guidance over the same.
Reflective Diary 3: Reflection on communicating using technology
By using the Gibbs reflective cycle model I am not able to identify the problem in my
communication where I understand the use of technology and communication with my patients
last week at his home. For this I have created a proper action plan which will improve my ability
to use technology in communication.
Description: Last week I received call from individual, he is suffering from disability.
Because of some network error I am unable to recognise. I don't use any other technology for
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communication impacted negatively in the current situation because the person is in muscular
pain which arises because of his disability related to mental health. I understand this thing that,
because of my poor knowledge in technology within communication the patient is suffering a lot
as his muscular pain become injury. Identify that I have to use different communication
technologies like social media platforms name as WhatsApp, Facebook and other means of
communication which will help me in solving these kinds of issues (Mantzourani and et. al.,
2019). I think other people will also choose this type of things which will help them in solving
the problems by taking it into the consideration. So, I decided to take a proper action against my
knowledge about technologies within the communication and I started gathering information
about different means of communication which I can use instead of only telephonic
communication. This help me in improvising my ability related to communication.
Feelings: After completion of the whole I am feeling no because I am unable to help that
patient because of my improper use of communication technology. But certainly after the action
plan I started feeling good because now I improve my communication technology where I can
easily understand the information as well as can communicate with my patience for improving
their situations and helping them in difficult situations. I also think that my feelings are wrong at
that time because I treated the patient effectively after the whole event where I perform the
surgery which will help the patient in improving its injury so it is effective for me. Whole event
is surprising for me but I didn't strongly that event and now I am feeling good that I am able to
understand different technology which will help me in communicating more effectively.
Evaluation: I think that the one activity within the whole event went good that I can
now use different kind of communication networks where I can communicate with my patients
24x7 (Schei, Fuks and Boudreau, 2019). Something are not going so well because I am not so
aware about different technology and uses of different technology but I can do better in this by
the regular use of these types of technology.
Analysis: I think that I have learnt various things from this event and a situation because
it give me experience that what is the importance of communication and use of technology
within the communication for betterment of mankind as well as different individuals.
Conclusion: From the above mentioned event it can be concluded that individual have to
properly use different communication networks so that he can manage the performance of his
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own as well as increase his ability to trade patients more effectively by performing on a
particular task.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of the overall information expressed in the project, it can be said that
communication is acknowledged as the essential part of every profession as it allows individuals
to express them effectively. Also, it has been later analysed that usage of the rightful
communication technique helps individual in performing their work effectively whereas if the
communication is not done in the rightful manner then it might develop range of problems in
their practices. Along with this, it has also been identified that Gibbs reflective model is
acknowledged as the best framework through which individual can easily express their whole
journey or experience related to the event or incident. Also, it plays supportive role in
determining core learning developed with the same experience.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Tom, G., Ewan, K. and Mitchell, D., 2017. Reflecting on Clinical Practice Spiritual Care for
Healthcare Professionals: Reflecting on Clinical Practice. CRC Press.
Anderson, E., Sandars, J. and Kinnair, D., 2019. The nature and benefits of team-based reflection
on a patient death by healthcare professionals: A scoping review. Journal of
interprofessional care, 33(1), pp.15-25.
Rosciano, A., Moran, P. and Waryold, J., 2020. nurse practitioner students perceptions of
reflection in the clinical setting. International Journal of Nursing and Health Care
Research.
Vosman, F. and Niemeijer, A., 2017. Rethinking critical reflection on care: late modern
uncertainty and the implications for care ethics. Medicine, Health Care and
Philosophy, 20(4), pp.465-476.
Monrouxe, L.V. and Rees, C.E., 2017. Healthcare professionalism: improving practice through
reflections on workplace dilemmas. John Wiley & Sons.
Hem, M.H. and et. al., 2018. The significance of ethics reflection groups in mental health care: a
focus group study among health care professionals. BMC medical ethics, 19(1), p.54.
Mantzourani, E. and et. al., 2019. The role of reflective practice in healthcare professions: Next
steps for pharmacy education and practice. Research in Social and Administrative
Pharmacy, 15(12), pp.1476-1479.
Schei, E., Fuks, A. and Boudreau, J.D., 2019. Reflection in medical education: intellectual
humility, discovery, and know-how. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 22(2),
pp.167-178.
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