Reflection on Development of Advanced Communications Skills - Essay Example

?Reflection on Development of Advanced Communications Skills (The Care Environment – A User-Focused Approach) Table of Contents Introduction 3 Discussion 3 Plans for Future Development 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction This essay will examine my personal development with regard to the communication within the multidisciplinary team, outside agencies along with other specific professionals about mental healthcare settings. A proper communication within the mentioned factors ultimately provides a continuum of care for every patient through comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. The term ‘multidisciplinary team’ implies a group of people associated with diverse disciplines who come together mutually in order to serve a common purpose. The professionals associated with multidisciplinary team often promote effective communication as well as coordination with the patients. Moreover, any sort of differences in opinions amid the professionals and the patients can be conversed and resolved successfully (Catlett & Halper, 1992). Discussion The perception of mental illness is considered to be a psychological problem which extensively affects the feelings, behaviours and process of interaction with other people. There are different sorts of metal illnesses out of which the major types include anxiety, depression, personality as well as eating disorders. Moreover, the other probable mental health related disorder results from living in a dysfunctional family, constantly altering schools or jobs and feelings of anger, loneliness and inadequacy. The notion of mental health and illness imposes considerable burden upon the society as well as the individuals. Mental disorders are not only an extreme form of widespread medical condition but also enormously disabling by a large extent (Gamble and Brennan, 2006). During the training period, I was able to understand the fact that establishing effectual communication as well as better links within the multidisciplinary team, outside agencies along with other specific professionals can lead towards facilitating mutual patient care with regard to mental healthcare settings. The communication made with the multidisciplinary teams along with other specific professionals is quite important because it enables to deliver proactive care to those people suffering from mental health difficulties. While pursuing the course, I learnt that an effectual flow of communication with the multidisciplinary teams delivers the skill range in order to comply with the complex requirements of the mentally ill patients which ultimately improve the teams’ permanence of care. The legal as well as ethical context within which mental healthcare is delivered is primarily based upon certain principles which include autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence (Gamble and Brennan, 2006). From the learning outcomes gained during the course, I was able to determine the various frameworks within which mental healthcare is organised and delivered with the intention to promote service collaboration as well as coordination for the people with mental healthcare requirements and also encourages ‘best practice management’ along with care coordination. I found that the framework focuses upon two important factors relating to mental healthcare settings which include service delivery and clinical care. From the perspective of service delivery, the guidelines include the service range, staffing, training and development, quality along with performance management. In terms of clinical care with regard to mental health, the guidelines include the assessment of healthcare, treatment and inpatient care (Chisholm & Stewart, 1998). The aforementioned discussion helped me to acquire a detailed understanding about the ethical context along with the frameworks within which the mental healthcare is organised and delivered through the course of the year. In the course of my training, I was able to reach to a standpoint which related to the formation of an effective communication with the multidisciplinary team enhances the degree of personal development and also delivers numerous significant benefits to the professionals associated with mental healthcare. The major benefits include the participation in terms of making any sort of valuable decisions, delivering the services which are co-ordinated as well as planned and simultaneously offering such services which are cost-effective. The aspect of team collaboration in the area of healthcare is principally described as the activities of various professionals attached with mental healthcare segment who shares accountability for solving any sort of problems and mutually work together to make any major decisions. The team collaboration between the nurses, physicians along with other professionals lead towards continuous enhancement in the aspect of problem-solving and carrying out major plans for the safety of the patients (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, n.d). During the course of the training, I became quite familiar with the several components of a successful teamwork which entailed open communication, non-punitive situation, respectful environment, shared liability for the success of the team and apparent decision-making processes. It is quite important to work with multidisciplinary colleagues and build a strong form of communication with them. When the professionals belonging to mental healthcare settings are not capable enough to communicate effectively with the multidisciplinary colleagues or fail to preserve team collaboration, there arises a huge risk regarding the safety aspect of the patients owing to various reasons (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, n.d). The course provided me a better insight about the significant fact that an ineffective communication pattern or lack of team collaboration results in shortage of valuable information, misapprehension of information and unclear orders which collectively poses considerable impact upon the safety of the patients suffering from mental illness and thus increases their risks at large. Moreover, lack of useful communication also generates conditions which entail increased chances of occurrences of medical errors. These significant medical errors ultimately lead towards severe injury or unanticipated demise of a mentally ill patient. A poor form of communication can lead towards various tragic consequences but conversely, proper communication paves the way towards several positive outcomes. The positive outcomes from effective communication with multidisciplinary colleagues include enhanced flow of valuable information, improved safety as well as care of the patients, enlarged family along with patient satisfaction, enhanced morale of the personnel and most importantly prevention of any sort of medical errors (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, n.d). I personally developed the intellectual as well as the practical skills in context to mental healthcare settings on the basis of the above discussion. As I am working in a male mental health ward as a healthcare assistant, I need to use few definite interventions along with valuable communication skills or tools. These include assessment of risks and enhancing the process of record keeping among others. Prior to the commencement of the course, I had to perform various activities while acting as a healthcare assistant in a male mental health ward. The job tasks included delivering breakfasts along with other meals to the patients, comforting the patients and most importantly promoting effective interrelation as well as communication within the team. Thus, it can be stated that in order to perform different activities as a healthcare assistant, it is quite essential to develop a better communication with the multidisciplinary teams or colleagues. In this regard I need to state that the aforesaid explanation helped me to acquire a lucid comprehension about the necessity as well as the importance of forming and utilising advanced communication skills in relation to work with multidisciplinary colleagues. During the training period after joining the course, I understood that communication is quite important for performing a specific job role such as a healthcare assistant in male mental health ward. In the course of the training program, I learnt how to develop my listening skills as well as making deliberate eye contact while communicating with others. For instance, while serving as a healthcare assistant, I need to develop the listening skills along with making eye contact with my multidisciplinary colleagues in order to strike an effectual form of communication with them. Plans for Future Development On the basis of the above made discussion it needs to be mentioned that I certainly acquired a valuable idea regarding the need and subsistence of an effective communication system or team collaboration with specific professionals or multidisciplinary colleagues. The mentioned factors are considered to be quite essential for ensuring safety and care of the patients in a mental healthcare setting. Though it leads to positive outcomes but there are certain barriers which significantly affect while building an effectual form of communication. The barriers can be the level of hierarchy, generational dissimilarities, changing levels of qualifications as well as status, disruptive behaviours, personality distinctions and culture along with ethnicity. These kinds of barriers can generally occur between different professionals that include nurses, physicians and the surgeons among others. In order to develop effective communication in future with the specific professionals as well as the multidisciplinary colleagues related with mental healthcare situations, it is quite necessary to overcome the communication barriers. The different communication barriers can be worked out through using the apt communication channel, avoiding information overload, forming simple operational structures with minimum hierarchy level, minimising the differences relating to individual qualifications, status and personality (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, n.d.). The proper execution of the above factors will ultimately lead towards future development of effective communication with the specific professionals, outside agencies and multidisciplinary teams. Thus, it can be stated that the outcomes of the course has assisted me to gain better understanding about making effective plans for future development in mental healthcare conditions. Conclusion In this essay I focused upon the aspect of effective communication within the specific professionals, outside agencies and multidisciplinary teams in a mental healthcare setting. I acquired a better understanding about the importance as well as necessity of building a strong communication level with specific professionals along with multidisciplinary colleagues. Moreover, the positive as well as the negative consequences were also observed while discussing the perception of forming efficient communication within the context of a mental healthcare setting. The major rudiment of this essay is stated to be the actuality of planning for future development in relation to build effectual communication with the healthcare professionals which has been portrayed in the discussion. Thus, collectively it can be stated that the overall discussion of this essay has developed my knowledge and understanding about the scholarly as well as practical skills about building effective communication with the professionals involved with the aspect of mental healthcare. References Chisholm, D. & Stewart, A., 1998. Economics and Ethics in Mental Health Care: Traditions and Trade-offs. The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, Vol. 1, pp.55-62. Gamble, C. & Brennan, G., 2006. Working With Serious Mental Illness: A Manual for Clinical Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. O’Daniel, M. & Rosenstein, A. H., No Date. Background. Professional Communication and Team Collaboration. [Online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2637/ [Accessed August 04, 2012]. Read More