Relevancy of Effective Personal Health Care Communication - Term Paper Example

? Healthcare Communication Introduction Healthcare communication essentially refers to the interactions that take place among the different stakeholders involved in the health care ecosystem. It also involves the interpersonal communication activities among the stakeholders (Sands, 2008). Communication is quite an essential process in almost every organization in general and service industry in particular. It assists the healthcare professionals such as nursing students in understanding problems and doubts of the patients in a better way. This further performs a significant role in improving the level of customer satisfaction (Cynthia, 2001). The objective of the paper is to understand the importance of healthcare communication and to identify its influence on the health outcome of individuals. Discussion Relevancy of Effective Personal Health Care Communication The quality related to healthcare services provided by the healthcare professionals as perceived by the clients is significantly dependent upon communication. It has been noticed in several cases that communication enhances the bond among the patients and their clinician and facilitates in improving the health of the patients (Institute for Healthcare Communication, 2012). The implementation of effective communication in healthcare organizations facilitates in improving the accessibility of the required medications by briefing the medication providers about the patients that are admitted to the organization. Certain researches have stated that effective communication has assisted in nullifying the chances of wrong treatment such as wrong surgeries and wrong medication among others. In addition, it lowers the expenditure of the patients by reducing their length of stay in hospitals and other health organizations (Victorian Government Department of Health, 2010). Apart from these, there are various significant benefits of communications for certain healthcare professionals such as nursing students. It has been noticed that the cases of patient complaints are likely to be lowered when effective communication activities are maintained between the service providers and the patients. It facilitates them to identify the problems faced by the patients and assists them in solving problems in a better way. Therefore, it can be stated that effective communication enhances the overall quality of care as well as the services provided by the several caregivers to the patients, and improves the satisfaction level of patients (BA & OO, 2012). Relevancy of Professional Health Care Communication Healthcare communications have a significant influence on the health outcome of individuals. It facilitates the individuals to get aware of the health hazards that they might face, and also educates them about the preventive measures which should be taken in order to minimize as well as eliminate the chances of health problems to occur. Healthcare communications provide various means for the individuals to be healthy by providing adequate knowledge to the individuals about the nutritional necessity of human body and facilitate them to lead a healthy life. This type of communication activities can also educate the individuals about the adverse effects of consuming alcohol and other such drugs. It aids individuals in minimizing the consumption of alcohol and other similar drugs. Furthermore, healthcare communications aid in improving quality of services rendered to the patient and also ensures safety of the patients (National Business Group on Health, 2012). Outcomes of Ineffective Personal and Professional Communication Ineffective communications have several significant affects on the health outcomes. Certain researches carried out during the period 1995 to 2005 have revealed the fact that ineffective communication has been the major cause in almost 66% percent of the medical miscalculations (Institute for Healthcare Communication, 2012). Furthermore, it has also been noticed that ineffective communication acted as a cause for physical and emotional injury to the patients. Lack of personal and professional communication had been a major cause of serious health injuries and unexpected death in several instances. An improper communication channel within the healthcare organization might result in delays in terms of patients’ treatment and consequently can cause an undesirable effect on the health outcomes of a patient (Victorian Government Department of Health, 2010). As a result of ineffective communication, a patient might not be able to provide the imperative information about his/her health conditions to the caregiver, which may further lead to wrong treatments and cause health hazards to the patients. Theories and Principles of Therapeutic Communication Peplau’s International Relations Theory Peplau’s International Relations Theory provides a conceptual structure to the therapeutic procedure that takes place between the nurses and their clients. The theory states that the communication activities that take place between the nurses and their clients are significantly influenced by certain factors such as environment, attitudes and perceptions among others. The theory explains the communications within the nurse-client relationship in terms of four interrelated phases which have been mentioned below: Orientation: The effectiveness of the communications is dependent upon the willingness of the patient or client to trust the nurses and to seek treatment from them Identification: The interactions among the nurses and the clients provide a basis for communal understanding and trust to the nurse-client relationships Exploitation: Owing to their relationship with the nurses, the clients acquire a sense of freedom and as a result, it facilitates the healthcare organization to participate in resolving the problems of the clients Resolution: After the client needs are satisfied through effective communication, the client further seeks to have complete independence and solution of the health difficulties Source: (Antai-Otong, 2007) Dyadic Interpersonal Communication Model Dyadic Interpersonal Communication Model was coined by David Berlo in 1960 in order to describe an interactive process which consists of a sender or encoder whose major intension is to be perceived correctly by the other person in the channel, who is the recipient or decoder. The response of the recipient depends upon his/her interception of the message sent by the sender. The model states that the communication process is significantly influenced by the content of the message, perception and the prevailing mental and physical conditions of the sender and the receiver (Antai-Otong, 2007). Hence, in this context, the nursing students participating in a pre-licensure programme should attempt to communicate with their clients or patients in order to gain a better understanding of their problems as well as their psychological inclinations to prudently relieve them from their difficulties. Conclusion Communication is quite a significant activity which plays a major role in almost every organization. It facilitates the healthcare organizations to provide personalized services to the clients and enhances the level of satisfaction among the clients. An effective communication may facilitate the caregivers as well as the clients in several ways. It reduces the chance of wrong treatment and improves the quality of services provided to the clients. Furthermore, it assists the healthcare professionals such as the nursing students to understand the problems of the clients more efficiently and facilitate them to offer right treatments to the patients. References Antai-Otong, D. (2007). Nurse-client communication: A life span approach. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. BA, A., & OO, O. (2012). Assessment of communication skills among pharmacy students of the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy, 215-218. Cynthia, S. (2001). Importance of communication in nursing care. Paramedical 1(3), 34-35. Institute for Healthcare Communication. (2012). Impact of communication in healthcare. Retrieved from http://healthcarecomm.org/about-us/impact-of-communication-in-healthcare/. National Business Group on Health. (2012). Effective health communication: Guidance for employers. Retrieved from http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/healthtopics/maternalchild/investing/docs/5_healthcommunication.pdf. Sands, D. Z. (2008). Challenges in healthcare communications. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/wp/Communication_Healthcare_WP_0724FINAL.pdf. Victorian Government Department of Health. (2010). Promoting effective communication among healthcare professionals to improve patient safety and quality of care. Retrieved from http://www.health.vic.gov.au/qualitycouncil/downloads/communication_paper_120710.pdf. Read More