Bernard Moss: Comm. Skills for Health & Social Care essay.

Application of the Relevant Theories of Communication to Health and Social Care

Describe about the Bernard Moss Communication Skills for Health and Social Care?

Communication is considered as one of the most significant in the health and social care contexts. The communication between the health care practitioners and the service user needs to be more frequent and transparent in order to understand each other. In this present genre, it has been seen that people are usually complaining about the ineffective communication between the health care practitioners and the services users. The doctors and the nurses are taking the photographs of the patients and without asking them uploading these photographs to the social media sites. Such of the lack of communication is making the patients feels embarrassed. The report obtained from the media publication is representing the irrelevant attitude of the practitioners in the health care setting with the elderly patients. It is evident that the effective relationship building with the patient is necessary for acquiring the idea about the health problem they have been facing. The patient usually looks for the reliability once they visit any health care center. However, the case study is based on the 35 year age woman Anna, who have been suffering from stroke one morning. Whenever she was taken to the hospital, the doctor started accusing her for being drunk and wasting the time.

It is to be noted that the maintenance of the effective communication process in health and social care settings needs the application of relevant theories. Such of these relevant communication theories are the humanistic theory, cognitive theory, behaviorist theory, and psychoanalytical theory.

Humanistic Theory: The Humanistic communication theory is applied for achieving the positive attitude and approaches while communicating with the health care service users. This theory is assured as the vulnerable way of treating the patients with positive attitude. In this case, it has been seen that though Anna had been facing several difficulties, the doctor did not respond in a positive way. In fact, the doctor accused her for assuming that she was drunk. This is not a proper way of applying the humanistic theory for the communication.

Cognitive Theory: This type of theory is applied for the recognition of the actual status of the patients’ health. If the practitioners are aware of the health situation of the patients, it will be possible to provide the required medication and treatment to the patient. However, in this case, the doctor could not recognize the health status of Anna, which made the doctor apprehend that she was drunk and therefore, he accused her for wasting his time. The health care center did not apply the cognitive theory in fact.

Recommendation

Behaviorist Theory: This theory is applied when two people are communicating with each other and finding the way to resolve the problem by recognizing the action, thoughts, and feelings. The monitoring of the behavior is thus effective enough for justifying the health status of the patients. The case study reflects the lack of such communication process of the doctor and the nurse with Anna and they even failed to recognize her health status.

Recommendation:

It is evident that the recognition of the health problem is very much important for the health care practitioners. If they are unable to establish the transparent communication process while communicating with the patients, it will be difficult for them to understand the actual health status. As per the cases study, the miscommunication made the doctor unrecognizable of the health condition of Anna. If the skilled communication process would have taken place and the practitioner could communicate with the patient, it would have been easier for them to provide the proper treatment and medication to the patient. Therefore, it is very much important for the health care professionals to establish a good communicational skill before diagnosing the problem.

Shannon’s model of communication:

The model is considering few steps, which are as follows:

Shannon’s model of communication

Figure 1: Shannon’s Model

1. The information source is assuring the creation of the message.

2. The information source sends the message and the destination receives it.

3. Transmitter is used as an instrument for capturing the signals.

4. Signal is considered as the channel flow.

5. Channel is representing container of the air, electricity, or radio waves.

6. Noise is taken as the secondary signal for carrying the focus.

7. Receiver is used as the telephonic instrument to get the information

8. Destination is referred to the person who execute the process by receiving the message.

It is to be noted that the communication process is considered as the mutual process undertaken by sender and the receiver. The communication skills are assuring the different requirements, which include listening, reflecting, questioning, explanation, paraphrasing, mentoring, summarizing, and consultation. The effective listening skills are applied when one person saying something and the other is listening to understand the situation. In relation with this particular case, the doctor did not listen to the patient Anna and did not understand her health condition. Instead of listening to Anna’s husband, the doctor started accusing Anna of being drunk. It is to be noted that good listening skills are effective enough in understanding the situation. If the doctor is unable to recognize the situation of the patients, it will be very much difficult for them to facilitate the relevant treatment. In this cases study, the doctor did not maintain any kind of skills mentioned above; rather he prescribed the irrelevant medication for the health situation of Anna. If the doctors can research more from the social media sites, or the YouTube sites by communicating with the experts, it will be relevant for them to get the training for treating the patients.

Shannon’s Model of Communication

The interpersonal communication is applied for sharing the views among the different professionals. If the practitioners were not maintaining the effective communication skills, it would be impossible for the patient to express their requirements and to make them aware of the problems they face . In considering the entire rules of the health care centers, it is necessary to follow the effective process of interpersonal communicational for achieving the satisfactory level of the service user. In concerning the welfare of the service users, the interpersonal communication is very much helpful for sharing views. The enhancements of the interpersonal communication skill are facilitating the dealings with the associations where the interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and listening processes are required. One of the most relevant interpersonal theories that is apt for this particular case study is the social exchange theory. The case study is following the misinterpretation of the doctor after watching Anna’s condition. Since, she was unable to express, the doctor blamed her as a drunker without diagnosing her. The signs and the indications were prominently describing her health illness.

It is very much indicative that the recognition of the specific needs is very much important for determining the fulfillment of the requirements. The overcome of the barriers is very much required for understanding the health status. People with different disabilities, such as mental disabilities, visual disabilities, and physical disabilities are needed to be understood for the future treatments. The specific methods of interacting with these patients and understanding their body language are effective enough for the relevant treatment. If the practitioners are unaware of the requirements of the patients, they cannot provide the proper and relevant care. It is thus helpful enough in eliminating the mistakes and resolving the anxieties accordingly. The use of the signed languages is thus effective enough to understand the problem more specifically. In this case, Anna made several body languages for not being able to speak. Unfortunately, the doctor did not understand her disability and misinterpreted her condition. Therefore, it can be inferred that in this case study, there is no application of the relevant strategies.

It is to be noted that the culture and customs are very much important for the health and social care. The human transmitted efforts of the teachers, parents, and societies are influencing such process more specifically. The health care professionals thus firstly need to respect the culture of the patients while they are visiting the health care center. In this case, the doctor and the nurse failed to understand the condition of Anna. In fact, the behaviour of the doctor was not justified in considering the cultural factors. The facial expression of the doctor was one of the feelings of disgusted. The other body language was not even very much relevant in considering the health care scenarios. Therefore, the inactive verbal and non-verbal approaches of the health care practitioners in this case were not so much appropriate and the influence of such factors was inappropriate too.

Using the Communication Skills in Health and Social Care Context

As a health care practitioner, one must follow several legislations and the code of practices for providing the effective treatment to the patients. As per the Equality act 2010, the patients have the right to receive the gentle care. Even the health care center has to follow such legislations in considering the human rights. The appropriate training process given to the staffs is very much required for understanding such purposes. On the other hand, the poor understanding law, which is considering the disempowerment of service user, which can be used against the reputation of the Care Units of Health and Society center. The implementation of such laws and regulations can bring the positive changes in the Care Units of Health and Society centers.

Every health and social care center has to ensure the proper system of managing and organizing the promotions of the good practices. Especially, the staffs need to learn the practices while dealing with the service users. Every health care practitioner has to overcome the professional obligation for determining the effective treatment for the patients. The case study is reflecting the ineffective maintenance of such practices. The behaviour of the doctor and the nurse was unjustified towards Anna. It is even reflecting that lack of the practices while communicating with the family of the service users. The process of monitoring, training and the evaluation of the codes of practices will be therefore relevant for facilitating the good practices in the health and social care centers.

The improvisation of the communication process includes several ways of treating the patients. The effective communication can only be built if the practitioners are listening to the problems of the service users and understanding more relevantly. Sometimes the service users cannot express their problems due to the illness of health. In such cases, the practitioners have to understand the body language and the facial expression for understanding the probable and suitable treatment for that particular service user. If the doctor could understand the body language and the indication of Anna, she would not be diagnosed with irrelevant health issues. Therefore, it is very much important to acquire the relevant skills for understanding the body language of the patients.

In the health and social care setting, the use of the ICT tool is very much significant for improving the quality of the services that are needed to be provided to the patients. Spot vital sign is the main ICT tool, which is used in the health care centers. The practitioners can measure the blood pressure, temperature rate, pulse beat rate, and other required measurement. In case of emergency, the doctor can check the pulse rate of the patient using the Spot Vital sign technology. The measurement will be ensuring the exact health problem that the patent is facing. The measurement of the blood pressure can be helpful for initiating the proper therapy that can be prescribed for the survival before the real treatment will start.

Reviewing Method of Dealing with Inappropriate Interpersonal Communication

The use of the ICT tools is very much beneficial for the health and social care centers. When any service user is visiting the health center, the basic care can be provided by using such tools. The spot vital signs software is helpful for checking the blood pressure, temperature of the body, etc. This basic treatment can be provided to the patients. The general practitioners and the practitioners of hospitals can use such tools in case of emergency. It is therefore helpful for survival of the patent in major health issues. The staffs can note down the temperature and blood pressure rate for delivering the information to the doctors.

It is to be indicated that implementation of the different legislations for the use of ICT tools is very much significant. As per the Health and Safety act 1974, it is to be ensured that the service users are needed to be provided the basic treatment in case of emergency. In fact, the Work Equipment Regulation 1998 is assuring the use of the high quality equipment for treating the patients. It has been seen that the repetitive strain injury can create the problems in limbs. Therefore, the implementation of Upper Limb Disorder policy would be effective enough for the health care centers in recognizing the relevant process of providing the appropriate treatment to the patients. The laws and the policies are thus counted as most relevant ways for securing the treatment that is needed to be provided to the service users.

Conclusion

The entire study is reflecting the necessity of implementing the effective communication skills in the health and social care settings. As per the case, the doctor did not maintain the proper way of communication when Anna visited the health care center. The application of legal policies, procedures, ICT tools and relevant communication theories is very much important for providing the effective treatment to the patients. In fact, the training purposes are also signified for the effective treatment providing to the health care professionals as well as the staffs.

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