Post on 05-Jan-2016
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COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE IN MEDICINE
COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE IN MEDICINE
Should doctors learn Should doctors learn to communicate?to communicate?
BHP Lecture series
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Author Ridad Agoes
Dept. Bioethic and Humaniora,
Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Padjadjaran.
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Jakarta18 September 1940
MPH, Univ. of California Los Angeles, 1981
ProfessorDepartment Parasitology School of Medicine, FKUP
Jln. Parasitologi 11Bandung
Ph.D. in Basic Medical SciencePadjadjaran Univ. 1997
MD, FK UNPAD, 1968
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Communication Issue
Breaking bad news“I was 25 years old and working in an
emergency unit. A young lad was brought in with severe head injury following a road accident. We tried to resuscitate him but it was useless. I had to go out and tell his parents. I didn’t have a clue what to say. I didn’t know how to handle the situation. I just said ‘sorry’ and ran out of the room. That was over 30 years ago and things aren’t really much better now.
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COMMUNICATION ISSUES
During his life time career of 40 years, a doctor will spend approximately 150.000 to 200.000 patient contacts and communication
Doctors talk to patients and their families more often than performing medical procedures
Unfortunately many doctors are not prepared or ill trained to communicate with patients
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COMMUNICATION ISSUE
Many of the complaints received by the hospital are about doctors’ or nurses’ attitudes and miscommunication
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COMMUNICATION ISSUES
- Many medical malpractice claims and patient complaints are caused by emotional and psychological factors due to failed communication.
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COMMUNICATION ISSUES
- Hospital systems can also contribute to communication problems. Clinics that do not provide good information and clinics that run late can result in dissatisfaction and hostility among patients.
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•What else ?
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Litigation
• More and more patients are not only willing complain, but also prepared to sue
• Poor handling of complaints contribute to increase in litigation
• Most patients want an explanation of what went wrong and an apology and many are forced to take legal action when their doctors are not communicating
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COMMUNICATION
What is the definition of COMMUNICATION?
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COMMUNICATION- A transactional process involving cognitive sorting, selecting and sharing of symbol in such a way as to help another elicit from his own experiences a meaning or responses similar to that intended by the source
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In other word Communication is a process by
which an individual transmitted stimuli (usually verbal) to modify the behavior of other individual.
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Elements of
Communication Source
Message Media
Target (Feedback)(Impact)
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Effective Communication
• If the communication could create : • Understanding• Satisfaction• Influences the attitude• Good interpersonal relationship• Action
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Communication Skill
• communication skills include :• “ ……. the ability talk to patients on
emotional level, to listen, to assess how much information a patient wants to know and to convey information with clarity and sympathy”
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The seven C’s of
Communication Credibility
Content Context
Clarity Consistency
ChannelsCapability of the audience
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Communication in Medical Context
•Verbal Communication •Non-verbal Communication
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Verbal Communication
• Speaking to the person• Look straight in the eye • make eye-ball contact• Clear message • Relevant, interesting• Good listener• Allow them to digest the message
and reply
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Non – verbal Communication
• Body language • Gesture• Facial expression. • Head movements. • Touching.
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•Why communicate ?
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What for ?
• Providing information to patients
• Relieving anxiety and stress• Offering emotional support• Giving instruction to nurse and
patient
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•What else ?• (after 10 minutes break)
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“When doctors use communication skills effectively, both they and their patients benefit”
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Effects of Good Communication skill
• Patients’ problems are identified more accurately
• Patients are more satisfied with their care and can better understand their problems
• Patients are more likely to comply with treatment
• Patients are less likely to complain
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•Is there any barrier to effective communication ?
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Doctors playing God
• There is a certain attitude that doctors “is basically God”. But with attitude changes, they were asked to put aside their hard earned status and accept questioning from patient
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Lack of skill and understandingUndervaluing the importance of
communicating Negative attitude Lack of inclination to
communicate Human failings Inconsistencies in providing
informationLanguage competence
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Elements of
Miscommunication Many patients complained of nurses and doctors
saying different things Patients also complained that they had no
opportunity to talk to the doctor They complained about lack of involvement
in decisions about their care They were given no information about
test results
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So, why is change needed ?
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Cultural reasons There is a major cultural change
within the society where many patients (and their families) are prepared to challenge the way hospital services are providedThis cultural change and
attitude can be difficult for health professionals to manage, and therefore requires changes in communication behavior
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Satisfaction and treatment outcome
•Another reason for change is the evidence that improving doctors’ communication skill can increase patient satisfaction and improve treatment outcomes
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“Helping doctors improving the way they communicate with patients can also contribute to increasing job satisfaction and improving doctors’ morale”
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So, is there room for improvement ?
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Room for Improvement
(1) Dealing with difficult
patients : some patients are full of anger, aggressive and hostile and the way doctor manage them will influence the outcome
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Room for improvement (2)
•Dealing with different need of patients:
•Some patients have mental health problems, acute sensory impairments, and language barrier
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Room for improvement (3)
“Reducing errors and improving treatment approach:
Doctors should review mistakes they have done and improve their approach to handling patients by improving their clinical effectiveness
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•What else ?
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid
(1)
Dismissing patient’s complaints as irrelevant or uninteresting
Resistance to listening to patient becomes more pronounced as doctors get tired or bored
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (2)
“Pretending to listen or acting to look attentive”.
• Feigning attention is risky. Patient usually can sense when a doctor is pretending to listen
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (3)
“Avoiding complicated subjects”.
• Doctors usually avoid listening to complicated subjects and prefer simple complaints
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (4)
“Too many distractions”. • Do not allow distraction
interfere during communication with patient.
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (5)
“Finding fault with the speaker” .
• Avoid finding fault by learning to concentrate more on content rather than on the speaking style
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (6)
“Listening only on fact” . Learn also to include listening to
the emotional aspects of patient’s complaints
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (7)
“Becoming too enthusiastic” . • Avoid getting carried away by
patients explanation
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (8)
“Doctors becoming antagonized by patient’s emotional complaints” .
Certain statement made by patient may trigger negative emotional reaction from the doctor
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (9)
“Listening is distracted by taking of notes” .
First get the message, and then write down notes
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Ten bad listening habit to avoid (10)
“Doctors did not focus on what is being said” .
If communication is slow, listening becomes bored and the mind may wander somewhere else. Learn to avoid thinking of something other than what patient is trying to communicate
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Thank you ….