Effective Communication Skills in Healthcare - Coursework Example

Effective Communication Skills in Healthcare Effective communication in healthcare means the healthcare provider must ensure that the information about the patient’s sickness and the treatment process, to include the type of drug used, are well understood by the patient according to their abilities and needs. It is evident in the healthcare environment that patient and doctor interaction makes sure the patient gets the maximum treatment outcomes and the highest possible consumer satisfaction. Lack of effective communication causes poor compliance level on the patient and treatment outcomes. Patients often feel frustrated because their doctors do not apply patient-oriented communication skills which result into negative outcomes on the delivery of actual medical advice. Patients also complain of lack of important attributes of their physicians, such as empathy and kindness, which can lead to a communication gap between the two sides of the communication process (Hassali, Shafie, & Khan, 2012). It has been reported that patients’ concern on communication behaviour has positive outcomes in their level of satisfaction, and this kind of patients tend to be more submissive to treatment. On the negative side of it, poor communication skills on the part of the healthcare provider results in unsatisfied patients that reflects in the quality of the treatment and compliance to drug therapy (Lochman, 1983 as cited in Hassali, Shafie, & Khan, 2012). There are also reports that the lack of correct information results into inefficient health care, the inability of doctors and healthcare professionals to provide patients’ needs, and absence of respect and dignity of patients. On the other hand, health professionals also reported lack of skills in having good relationship with patients. According to Nørgaard et al. (2012), healthcare providers should have positive relationships with each other, particularly in providing respect and appreciation to their peers so that they can provide respect and positive relationships with patients. There are problems that hamper the ideal patient-physician communication. Sometimes the healthcare providers have a busy schedule and need to treat many patients. This limits their length of communication and affects the quality of treatment. Some healthcare providers also have limited social skills which create a gap in their interaction with their patients. These two problems hamper their relationships and may result into a stressed and dissatisfied patient. High value is placed on the physician’s communication skills in order to deal with problems in the communication process. Doctors should not only be knowledgeable in healing the sick, but they must also know how to deliver words that encourage and motivate patients to get out of their sickness. That is effective communication in the truest sense. Doctors receive little education or training in the field of effective communication. They must include this in their knowledge database because they must learn quickly to work with patients, their families and others in the healthcare profession. New graduates in the medical profession do not have the necessary communication skills to cope with the increasing demand by patients who can be multi-cultural (Hall, Keely, Dojeiji, Byszewski, & Marks, 2004). Due to concerns in the lack of effective communication by healthcare professionals, various postgraduate teaching and training methods have been formulated to improve patient-doctor interaction either by training healthcare professionals or doctors, patients, or both parties of the communication process. The training has focused on a set of communications skills and positive results have attained. Majority of communication intervention studies have emphasised on primary care doctors or residents, but senior doctors were most of the time excluded from those interventions. Senior doctors should be included as they can provide experienced lessons in patient interaction. (Hassali, Shafie, & Khan, 2012) A study was conducted on patient satisfaction toward the communication with their healthcare provider. This is an important factor in the therapeutic outcome and the patient’s adherence to the therapy. Approximately 500 respondents, who were mostly Asians, participated in the study. They were asked to fill up a questionnaire and the results are provided in the table below. Most questions dealt on the physicians’ communication skills and the patients’ responsiveness (Hassali, Shafie, & Khan, 2012). Table 1. The respondents’ expectations from the communication process SOURCE: Hassali, Shafie, & Khan (2012) Patient satisfaction in the communication process is vital to the patient’s responsiveness to treatment or adherence to the therapy. In this study, the patient’s educational attainment was also taken into consideration because the patients’ level of satisfaction with the physician communication was higher among those who had higher educational level. The physicians’ communication skills received higher percentage in the respondents’ responses to the questionnaire. Relevant qualities of good communication in the healthcare environment include building a relationship, using open-ended questions in a conversation, discovering and asking the patient’s views, providing empathy and respect, looking for understanding, reaching agreements on problems and plans, and putting closure to some issues regarding the treatment process (Jensen et al., 2011). We can see how important communication is in the healthcare profession. Experienced healthcare providers realize that they cannot effectively deliver patients’ needs without having a good interaction with them. Good communication skills enhance quality healthcare. Healthcare providers should be able to empathise with their patients, especially those who have undergone major treatment or surgery. Doctors should learn to understand language and simple sentences that relate symptoms of what seem to be minor sickness, although in the later stages of the diagnosis the sickness turns out to be the presence of a malignant tumor, or probably cancer. It is only the doctor who can easily understand the patient’s language who can deliver effective and fast treatment. In the other side of the communication process, patients and their families also need some form of healthcare literacy to attain effective healthcare communication. Healthcare literacy includes areas in language writing and speaking and the use of relevant technology to relay information and knowledge to people in the healthcare environment. Health literacy is the process in which people can acquire understanding and use health information to improve their health. Through literacy, parents and children can help in preventing disease, improving health and enhancing quality of life. (Lambert & Keogh, 2014) Health literacy also means having adequate understanding of “health-related information” so that a patient or parent/caregiver can act accordingly to what he/she has read and heard. Listening skills are as important as reading fundamentals. How a patient understands health information can influence his/her ability to keep the doctor’s instructions and prescriptions and improve health. If parents and children are not literate and cannot easily understand health information and instructions, there can be a problem in the treatment process. (Lambert & Keogh, 2014) Health literacy encompasses areas in the educational system, mass media and the health system. It seems complex but can be simplified through a framework provided in figure 1. Figure 2. Framework for health literacy SOURCE: Lambert and Keogh (2014) Healthcare literacy is one aspect of effective healthcare communication. But concern for communication should also focus on how the two sides of the communication process should interact. The education system plays a key role in health literacy as it relates the health system and the various forms of mass media. Family and friends influence the patient’s individual traits, which include age, race, and culture. These traits result into health outcomes such as health behavior. With all those factors being considered, literacy becomes functional and interactive. Moreover, healthcare providers should be equipped with educational priorities for a communication program so that they can easily relate with patients and other healthcare providers. These priorities include English-language skills for both verbal and other methods including the use of technology; the processes in the hospital or the workplace, including understanding the roles of health workers, doctors, and their peers; opportunities to make use of their specific skills, for example discussing topics of end-of-life with patients and families; administering treatment plans and conflict resolution; ensuring a support system is readily available for healthcare providers; and knowledge of the responsibilities in the hospital or clinic. References Hall, P., Keely, E., Dojeiji, S., Byszewski, A., & Marks, M. (2004). Communication skills, cultural challenges and individual support: challenges of international medical graduates in a Canadian healthcare environment. Medical Teacher, 26(2), 120-125. Hassali, M., Shafie, A., & Khan T. (2012). General public expectation from the communication process with their healthcare providers. Journal of Young Pharmacists, 4(3), 193-198. Jensen, B., Gulbrandsen, P., Dahl, F., Krupat, E., Frankel, R., & Finset, A. (2011). Effectiveness of a short course in clinical communication skills for hospital doctors: Results of a crossover randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN22153332). Patient Education and Counselling, 84(1), 163-169. Lambert, V. & Keogh, D. (2014). Health literacy and its importance for effective communication. Part 1. Nursing Children and Young People, 26(3), 31-37 Nørgaard, B., Ammentorp, J., Kyvik, K., & Kofoed, P. (2012). Communication skills training increases self-efficacy of health care professionals. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 32(2), 90-97. Read More