Transcript Communicating with Our Patients

First impression’s
What do we see ?
Rude
Nasty
Rage
Anger
Old Lady
Weak
Dithery
Or is this person anxious,
upset, in pain?
Education
Learn to look beyond
Feeble
What are they
all about
Listen to what
they have to say
People are not born old
they have a life time of
history.
As a healthcare support worker (HCSW) just like any other healthcare worker education is important,
in order that you can perform your duties responsibly and to the best of your ability. The course that I
have almost completed titled Certificate in Higher Education in Healthcare Nursing Support Worker
Education has enhanced my clinical practice. While working through the modules I found that my
confidence has grown enabling me to approach patients on noticing that they don’t seem comfortable
in the hospital setting.
Talk to patients
Get to know them
What a difference you
can make by taking time
to communicate.
I believe that as a healthcare support worker the public will expect a good level of knowledge, care and
support. When dealing with patients, carers and colleagues you must ensure that you work within the limits
of your role where communication is concerned (Welsh Assembly Government 2011). Through developing
a better insight into communication this has enabled me to deliver better support to patients and the
healthcare team within my clinical environment.
What is communication in nursing ?
Is communication important ?
How can we communicate?
Communication in nursing is not only the transferring of information from the
patient and their relatives to the healthcare staff that are caring for them, it is
also a way of making patients feel that they are important and involved in their
own care. In doing this we are empowering the patients to have a say in their
treatment. We need to pass on information efficiently to ensure that it is
correct for that patient as an individual and that their views are heard and
addressed. We need to gain the trust of the public so that they know that any
communication between us will be passed on correctly. Within nursing we
constantly use communication between the nurse the patient their families
and the nurses co- workers (Anderson 2010).
Communication is an important part of being a healthcare support worker, as
we are very often the first port of contact for patients attending the out patients
department. Patients can feel vulnerable in a clinical setting that they are
unfamiliar with. This can lead to the individual showing signs of behaviour that
they wouldn’t show under normal circumstances. Good communication skills
can strengthen nursing care, with patients being able to share their worries
and stories with the nursing staff (Sheldon 2004). Communication is important
to offer a good service to the public. Complaints about health and social care
have commented on failures in misunderstandings, inadequate information or
failures in communication (Welsh Assembly Government 2003).
Communication is not only by verbal conversation, we can also use gestures,
body language and our physical appearance. When we meet a patient for the
first time just a smile can be a form of communication that will suggest that
you are a friendly face. Eye contact should be made if a patient tries to gain
your attention. A gentle touch to a person that may need it, just at that moment
can be a form of communication in the way of offering support. A professional
dress code will instil confidence in a patient so that they are able to identify
who you are, this way patients and their relatives will know who to
communicate with. Being able to read a situation and recognise what a patient
is really feeling is a great advantage when communicating with them (Brett
and Brett 2001).
Conclusion
I would like to end by saying that although communication is a small part of caring for the patient it is a
very important part. If patients feel that they are being talked at and not to, talked about and not with, it
can leave them feeling very dissatisfied. It doesn't even have to mean that staff are rude, just that they
feel they are being ignored. Take time to reflect on how you yourself may feel in the same situation.
Whether you are a registered nurse or a healthcare support worker it is easy to become complacent and
over look the sometimes smallest things that really matter to a patient. I hope that this poster will draw
your attention to communication and either make you want to learn more, or refresh your memory in
what you all ready know.
References
Anderson, L ., 2011. Nurse together. Communication in Nursing. Available at
http://www.nursetogether.com/career/careerArticles/careerArticle/tabid/102/itemsId/906/communications-innursing.aspx.[Accessed 12th April 2011].
Brett, S and Brett, C., 2001 Health Care Assistants Programme. Non verbal Communication. Hants: Radcliffe Medical Press LTD.
Sheldon, L,K., 2004. School of Nursing & Midwifery Clinical Communication. Why is good communication important? Available at
http://nursing.flinders.edu.au/students/studyaids/clinicalcommunication/page.php?id=20 [Accessed 12th April 2011].
Welsh Assembly Government, 2003. Fundamentals of Care: Cardiff : WAG . Available at
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/booklet-e.pdf [Accessed 22nd March 2011].
Welsh Assembly Government, 2011. Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers in Wales.
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/code-of-conduct-for-Healthcare-support-workers-in-walespdff. [Accessed 3rd May 2011].
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