Case Study On Communication In Health And Social Care

Communication theories for health as well as social care sector

Discuss about a Case Study on Communication in Health and Social Care?

Effective communication is important in both social as well as health care as it allows the workers of the health care to perform their role efficiently. The good communication builds a relationship between the care workers and the patients and their mode of communication is either through verbal as well as non-verbal communication. The care workers are using verbal communication to respond to questions, find the problems in the patients, and deal with complaints (Amin, 2012). Non-verbal communication is the body language, facial expression. The main complaints that the patients raise against the doctors, nurses and caregivers are that they are not giving the best services, issues regarding effective communication, respect for patients as well as consideration of the family as well as carers. The health professionals should be aware of communication process so that they should be familiar with the problems that exist with errors within communication. It is useful to know about the factors that influence that how the messages are interpreted.

The relevant communication theories that are used in both health as well as social care are the following:

Behaviourist theory:

The theory refers to the behaviour as a reaction to stimuli. The environment of both health, as well as social care, plays an important role in what the patient say as well as what they do. The individual’s behaviour is the result of the environment that the person has collaborated with.

Cognitive theory:

It says about the rational development in early days as well as how the individuals learn to recognize and meet people in later life. It is mainly concerning the development of the process of thought of an individual (Fong, 2015). It focuses on active mental processes.

In the case study, the behaviourist theory is applied as the behaviour of the nurse, care workers as well as the doctors are giving negative response that gives a negative impact on the patient and feels discomfort and insecure. If the care workers should help in giving the services and the doctor should listen to the problem then Anna will able to share her problems with them. In relation to the cognitive theory, Anna feels bad regarding the overall services of the hospital due to negative reinforcement (Bedford, 2013). If the doctor would behave normally as well as pleasantly then Anna will feel comfortable.

Using the skills of communication in health as well as social care sector

Shannon model of communication is used to enlarge the communication between the sender as well as the receiver. This model is being developed to improve the technical communication, and then it is useful in the communications field. It is efficient for personal to personal communication (Burnett, 2011). The use of this model in the healthcare setting is to demonstrate a communication path between the doctors to nurse, from the nurse to patient and vice versa. This model is used in the healthcare sector to assist the individuals to recognize those factors that can influence the communication of a person. The effect of the feedback is also demonstrated in this model.

The division of health can modernize the techniques of communication to attain the plans as well as objectives related to healthcare. The new technologies are applied to ensure that the service operators can operate in an effective manner and can give special care and treatments to their patients. It has also been achieved through different training sessions as well as courses that can update knowledge as well as skills (Claffey et al. 2012). Listening skills is the most important as the care workers involve in interacting with their patients, they must listen to the problems of the patients carefully as well as pay attention to their needs. The workers must know to ask the right questions to get the detailed information to help the patient understand what is being asked. At the time of communicating, the social workers must give a smile that is the signal of warmth. It helps to improve the level of comfort within the room.

In the given case study, the behaviour of the doctor is very rude towards the patient and the doctor has no listening skills (Clore et al. 2014). He is even not ready to listen to the patient. The doctor is not even noticed the inappropriate behaviour of Anna. It gives a disagreeing sign toward Anna that the doctor is disagreed with something that has been said and appearing with disinterested towards the patients. Even there is the lack of listening skills; therefore, the doctor is unable to get the right information about the problem. The communication with the patients is not successful as the patient feels that the care workers are not building any interest and trust (Dormuth et al. 2012). The care workers do not agree with the patients and try to focus on something that is more important.

Review methods to deal with inappropriate interpersonal communication

At an individual, I can use my communicate skills to listen to the problems of the patient at first. If the patient cannot understand what is being told to them, then I can call the nurse to explain the queries. The body language of the patients should show the behaviour of the service whether they are comfortable or not (Frank, 2010). At the time of communicating with the patients, the tone of my voice should be low, such that it cannot form any type of communication barriers.

Interpersonal communication between the health care provider as well as the patient is important to improve the level of satisfaction and outcomes related to health. Interpersonal communication is that when different types of professional come to share their own view for the well-being of an individual. It helps to deal with the task as well as the interaction with others. It involves listening, both verbal as well as non-verbal communication. The inappropriate communication is showing anger, unwanted attention towards someone and lack of listening skills. These all are considered to be inappropriate because a patient need proper behaviour from the care worker, greater satisfaction from the service and concentration from the service, provider.

Social exchange theory: It explains the change in social as well as stability as a process to negotiate the exchanges between the persons (Foster, 2012). The theory that is used in the case study is the theory of social exchange.  It is applied as because both the doctor and the nurse are given pleasure by not saying any negative things as it can give pain to Anna.

Uncertainty reduction theory: It asserts the concept at the time of interacting, the person need information about others to reduce the uncertainty. When the person gains this information then it is possible to predict the behaviour of the other person as well as resulting actions. In the case study, it applies when the person has more understanding about other people and it develops more interpersonal relationships between them (Gotz and Sun, 2011). The doctor, as well as the nurse, should use this theory that would help to understand the condition of Anna in details using her body language.

The sector of health, as well as social care, builds up strategies to meet the needs of the individuals (Migliori, 2013). To overcome the barriers to communication, it is necessary to understand the needs of others. It is needed to implement strategies to give the proper sources of the message to the staffs. Both the staffs as well as the health professionals should be provided with training related to verbal and non-verbal communication. The person with disabilities use various types of non-verbal communicate such as sign language, body language, slang expressions etc (Huang et al. 2015). The different types of disabilities are overcome by various strategies are:

Strategies used to support the user of the health as well as social care sector

Visual disability is overcome by using visual images that are an example of technological aid. A person with hearing disabilities is overcome by sign language. People with differences in language can use pictures to communicate (Claramita and Susilo, 2014).

The factors that can control the development of communication in both health, as well as social care, are by values and cultural factors. The cultural factors consist of ideas, social behaviour as well as the customs of the society (Cohen et al. 2012). In the health care sector, it is the duty of the care workers to respect the culture of people, their background and beliefs. Therefore, the care worker must keep in mind the cultural and religious differences and ensure that none of the individuals should be treated in such a way that is disrespectful. When any culture is violated then people react with anger as well as emotionally (Zayas-Cabán and Chaney, 2011). In the case study, the nurse does not show any respect to Anna, even though the facial expression is important at the time of interacting with someone. Even the nurse is unable to observe the body language of the patient (Afendulis, Landrum and Chernew, 2012). The service provider should be comfortable to deliver services in regards of values, background, religion and culture. Valuing the diversity helps to enrich their own life and open to other people’s life experience as well as become flexible and imaginative as because the health worker imagines how other people perceive things. In the case study, Anna is being accused of drinking, the doctor is not interested to know the real fact and even he is not respecting their culture (Zandonà et al. 2012).

The hospital maintains an accurate proper system that can ensure its policies, as well as the code of practices, is carried out within the organization. The data protection act is the best legislation in the health as well as social care sector (Ismail, 2012). It ensures that the personal data is secured as well as accessed in a controlled manner. The records and information about the patient in the health care sector are very personal. This is done using monitoring, training as well as spot checking (Wellmann, 2013). By giving different ongoing training, the workers come to know the importance of data protection.  The information should not be released to the third party without the permission of the patients. Therefore, this act helps to ensure that the sector of health care runs smoothly and they are concerned about the information of their patients (Landry, 2012). In the health as well as social care, if the privacy is respected then it should follow that the protection of rights of the human is to be achieved.

A good practice within communication contributes to the efficiency of services as well as builds self-confidence within the persons (Trivedi and Grebla, 2011). The strategy of information is the best way to gather the personal information at the right time. The channel of the complaint is designed to get the proper authority as well as it prevents the barrier of fear from the patients.

 In the case study, the hospital has no such effective system and structure. The health organization has the lack of effectiveness as well as robust system of governance (Lea, 2012). The nurse, the receptionist as well as the doctor are unable to get the proper information about her health problem and it leads to communication barrier. It is concluded from the way that the doctor is impatient as well as the body language is also unprofessional. They have no proper system and no one is attentive towards the patient (Traca and Embry, 2011). They have no appropriate process of documentation or filling up the appointment form. The organization is not taking into account the confidential policy and they are not ensuring that they would not share the records of the patients with others (Olteanu and Olteanu, 2012). They have no such data protection act that they should access the records of the patients confidentially.

The health and social care sector should implement a system in which the record of the patients, as well as their daily progress report, is saved. In the system, the file of the patient is being updated. The main problem is that if the low-level staffs can access to the system. The health of the individual patient is monitored on the system and if any staff can delete the records accidentally, then it creates the problem (Niedringhaus, 2012). Therefore, in order to improve the process of communication they should be given training and attend the workshop. The staffs should be aware of the policies such as confidentiality of the records and personal information as because if the records are getting to the wrong then it creates problem for the patients and the organization should be responsible for it. The managers or the unit head should stored the data in a secured system and they should follow a strict rule regarding the principles of data protection (Norwich, 2013). The service users should give their own feedback about the services of the health care sector and the services given by the care workers. The patient should be treated properly and the staffs should listen to their requirements.

With the development within the field of information technology, the health sectors are using the software packages to deal with information like printing, updating, writing as well as storing data (Abaidoo and Larweh, 2014). The daily progress reports are updated as well as the everyday care of the patients is being stored within the system. In the sector of health as well as social care, there is a variety of ICT packages that are used to maintain such as power point, database analysis, spreadsheet, word processor, monitor etc. The use of ICT is important as it is concerned about exchanging information as well as sharing of assessments with other professionals (Awino, 2013). It is being applied to provide comfortable as well as easy access to service for care.

Source: Screenshot of recording patient’s admission data: www.arstechnica.com

The Electronic health record is the software that is used to collect the information of the patients electronically in the digital format. These records are to be shared among various health care settings. It includes the data such as medical history, allergies as well as medication, result of the laboratory tests, radiology images, information of billing and vital signs (Chiou, 2011). It is basically designed to store the data accurately and reduce the risk of replication of data. It is more effective at the time of extracting the data for the assessment of probable trends as well as long-term changes within a patient.

The ICT increases the efficiency, flexibility as well as standards of caring. Zidi is the software that provides assistance to the workers of health for holding to clinical procedures and tracking the performed procedures as well as services, ordering for lab tests and giving the results in the manner that is facilitating supportive supervision, and observing as well as assessing quality of care offered (Haluza and Jungwirth, 2014). It gives integrated solutions by tracking the utilization of services, commodities as well as indicators of health to improve allocation of resources. It collects the primary data at the aim of care in actual time. It allows the care workers to track the defaulters as well as contact them by targeting text messages.

The advantage of ICT to GP practice is that it presents those cases that are focusing on the treatment of elderly people suffering from chronic diseases (Lluch and Abadie, 2013). It is used to find the new ways of treatment as well as increase the acceptance of using of ICT. The advantage of ICT in hospitals is that it helps to improve the quality of care. In the hospital, the system is combined to use the computers to store and transfer information to solve clinical related problems (Maitland, 2011). In the care home, it is important to understand the meaningful activities for those people who have dementia.

The advantage of modern day health professionals over the health professionals in 1800-1930 through the use of ICT is that the modern day health care system is very fast and proper as compared to older. The modern day technology is followed by a decision support system. But the health care system in the older day is not so advanced and very few people know about it.

3.3 Analysis the legal considerations of using ICT give impact on health as well as social care sector

There are different types of legal legislations that are to be measured at the time of using ICT in both health as well as social care (NAKAJIMA and SHIGA, 2012). The use of ICT gives an impact taking place on the individuals such as upper limb that is caused due to poor posture as well as repetitive strain injury that refers to the pain of the arms at the time of working on the computer. According to the data protection act, it is used to handle the confidential files of the patients and those are sent electronically are stored within the database (Schaefer, 2011). The employee should have a legal duty under health and safety act 1974 that it ensures the safety of the employees. The display screen equipment regulation act 1992 is used to protect the health of those people who are working with DSA such as laptops, touch screens, computers etc. Provision and use of work equipment regulations 1998 is used to make certain that the equipment used in the health care sector is suitable for the function and continue to be safe as well as not risk and protection and examined by a worker who is used to documentation of the results (Schatz, 2011).

The workers should aware of the health care policies and maintain them to avoid the risk. They should be trained about how to use the system and records the data and information of the patients for future use (Song, 2014).

Conclusion

It is concluded from the overview of using the communication in both health and social care is that it comments on the individual needs of the patients as well as the best possible way to access it using different communication theories. The role of ICT is being discussed that it increases the efficiency as well as standards of caring. Using ICT, the data of the patients are kept secured and updated. Therefore, in order to improve the process of communication they should be given training. The staffs should be aware of the policies such as confidentiality of the records and personal information of the patients and help them by giving best services.

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