Communication - health and social care PDF

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Communication - health and social care...

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Unit 2 AO1

Communication is a process in which individuals interact with one another and convey information or emotions. More to the point, it’s a way in which you get the main message across to someone either by written communication, oral communication, computerised or special methods. Communication is a vital aspect within an individual’s life, it is used practically all the time. Most importantly, knowing how to communicate with people is a key aspect as being a care worker because if the right communication method is not used then the person may not be able to fulfill their needs nor would they have a great deal of understanding of their surroundings and that may lead them to feel discomfort or disheartened. For instance, someone who is deaf the communication method which would be used to communicate with the person would be special methods such as British sign language (bsl). Written communication could be used but to a certain extent because the person may not fully understand what is going on. Also, if someone is blind then the use of braille would be used for them to understand. There are different ways to communicate and that’s why it’s vital to understand the four main ways of communication because if an individual doesn’t understand then the person may miss information or miss interpret what the person is saying. Furthermore, communication allows people to build relationships and trust with people. This is practically important in care work because the service users may need to ask them questions e.g. they may need to go to the toilet. Also, they may have issues which need to be resolved and by the use of communication it enables the service user to build a bond with the carer and

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Unit 2 AO1 then they would feel comfortable around them and wouldn’t hesitate to ask them anything or share any personal information.

Communication can be defined as a, ‘Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share meaning. In general, communication is a means of connecting people or places,(www.businessdictionary.com). This definition of what communication means is similar to my own definition as it is explaining to an individual that communication is where you connect with people and share ideas and information. Communication opens the barrier between other people and lets people know what is going on around them or just in general how family and friends are doing. Communication doesn’t just mean when people text each other, there are many ways of communication written communication is just one of them. The type of communication which would be used depends on an individual themselves. So, if a person is deaf or blind then special methods would be used however, with an ordinary person who has no problems with them would use oral communication to share information with someone.

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Unit 2 AO1 Written Communication

Special methods

• • •

British sign language Braille Makaton

There are 4 communication types

Computerized communication

• • •

Texting letter medical forms

Oral communication

Social networking sites Emails Medical records • • •

Talking/verbal Gestures Telephone

Oral communication is a way in which you communicate with individuals by transmitting information. There are two types of oral communication, formal and informal. Formal oral communication means allocating information with a range of people either big or small in which avoids the use of slang terminology. More to the point, formal oral communication would take place either at meetings, interviews or a university lecturer. However, it is also used in a care setting as well because the carers would speak in a formal manner to their clients for them to understand because by speaking in an informal manner would not be appropriate and they may not understand and therefore, miss out on important information. The use of formal communication within a care setting portrays respect so it should always be used.

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Unit 2 AO1 Informal oral communication is used either for face to face conversations or telephone conversations. Informal oral communication wouldn’t be used in the care settings because the service user may not understand and it isn’t appropriate as it isn’t professional at all and majority of the phone calls people make to their friends are not spoken in a formal manner.

Also, oral communication can be defined as, ‘Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions are all forms of oral communication’. (www.managementstudyguide.com) This definition of oral communication indicates that it is a method in which individuals communicate using speech. So, this could take place at any time of the day for example having a conversation over the phone or just talking face to face to friends and family in general. Oral communication is very vital within an individual’s life because without it many people wouldn’t be where they are in life such as a university lecturer, teachers etc. Oral communication can teach an individual a lot of aspects to a person as well as teaching them between right and wrong.

Oral communication can be used in the care settings in many ways. For instance if a nurse in a hospital wanted to clarify any information or issues regarding a service user then oral communication would need to be involved. However, because there are two types of oral communication, formal communication would have to be used as it is vital that the information

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Unit 2 AO1 a carer may share with a client understands and they can then proceed with the information they have been given. So, if a patients details were wrong or had any issues regarding their details then the nurse would have to clarify that by using oral communication. For example, the nurse may ask the service user if she/he has had diabetes as it may not have been clarified on the patients’ medical form. Then this would need to be clarified because if the patient does have diabetes and no one was aware of it then the patient wouldn’t able to receive the medication that they need and they may feel ill and lethargic all the time. Plus, the person’s illness may get worse and lead to other illnesses and this would be harder for the doctors as they would have more situations to handle. So, by using oral communication and finding out what their medical history is then they would know what tablets he/she needs to take and when to take them. This would could save many individuals lives.

Another example of when oral communication would be used in a hospital is when a nurse/carer would want to build a sense of trust with a patient. So, for this to happen the nurse/doctor would have to sound reassuring and calm for the patient to open up to them. By reassuring the nurse/doctor would have to sound confident about what they are saying and the information they are sharing, so they would have to talk in a calm manner and not shout as this wouldn’t sound reassuring. If they sound nervous or if they start shouting then the service user may not feel comfortable around them and they wouldn’t build a bond with them and therefore she/he wouldn’t trust them.

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Unit 2 AO1 Furthermore, if they don’t have a bond amongst each other then this would lead to hardships and difficulties because the service user may not tell the carer everything that they need to know. For example if he/she has got any illnesses or has had any past illnesses. The information which they may need might be important. So, if they don’t have the information they need then they may not be able to give them the medication that they need and this could increase their health risk and lead to more problems/more illnesses. Lastly, another example of when oral communication would be used in a hospital is when an receptionist at a hospital is welcoming people in a hospital, because by doing this it portrays that you have a positive attitude and it would make feel more comfortable in the setting they are in. More to the point, there has to be a certain way in which an individual should greet someone for example. “Hello, how are you are? Just take a seat I won’t be a moment”. This would be the most appropriate manner on how to great someone as they walk in, as it indicates that the care workers cares and it makes the person feel welcome and it is the use of formal oral communication. Also, it would make a person feel as though they are wanted and that they are interested in the problem. However, if the worker was to say to someone “Why are you here for? Your appointments 45 minutes away you might as well just go home’’ it would make the person feel not wanted as it is portrayed as being very rude and disrespectful and it’s showing that the person has no manners. Then, the service user may not want to come again next time so, this would destroy their health and it would be the staff ’s fault for giving a negative outcome to the provider.

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Unit 2 AO1 Written communication is a type of communication which is written down. There are many ways in which a care worker can use written communication for example, medical records. If a patient was ill and the care worker wanted to know what medicines the patient has had in the past the care worker would have to look at the patient’s medical history. This is because to see if they need the same medicine as before to treat their illness or perhaps they may be allergic to a certain medication so the care worker would have to look and then provide the service user with the correct medication. For instance the patient may have had Hepatitis C and the medication they had received in the past may have worked. However, the patient may become ill after a few years and have the same symptoms as they did before so the care worker would have to look at the medical history and provide the same medication as before. This type of communication has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages to written communication is that it provides valid records and it’s very accurate. Most importantly it’s the best way because by having something written down is evidence because if someone used oral communication people can deny what they have said and say they said something else. Whereas, in written communication you can’t. Furthermore, the disadvantages to written communication is that, its time consuming because the response of the sender may not always be immediate and therefore, you may have to wait a long period of time to receive the response.

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Unit 2 AO1 One way in which written communication can be used in a hospital is when filling in a client’s accident and incident forms. The reason to why written communication would be used is because it’s fast and responsive because if an incident happened the person would probably not have access to a computer at the time. For instance a 7 years old child got ran over by a car and it was a hit and run incident, then the child would have to be rushed into hospital and the ambulance/paramedics would have to be at the scene. The Paramedics would have to take notes and pass the records onto the care workers in the hospital. The reason to this is because the care workers would know what the patient would need to make them better.

Another way in which written communication can be used within a care setting such as a hospital is to write down dates and times for team meetings. This is the best form of communication to use as people would remember when meetings are set so they don’t forget to attend. For example a carer has a meeting which is in 3 weeks’ time, it is highly unlikely that they will remember if they don’t write it down. So, for instance if the individual misses the meeting it will give a bad impression and look as though he/she isn’t capable and responsible for their own actions. As well as that the carer may miss out on important information. For example the place is going to be inspected, so certain measurements may be put in place and if the carer is not aware then this would look un- professional and it would ruin it for everyone. Therefore, written communication is used a lot in the health and social care environment as well as businesses and it keeps everyone organized because it can tell people where to be and what time they should be there.

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Unit 2 AO1

Lastly, another way in which written communication is used within a care setting such as a hospital is for the client care plan. This is very important as nurses follow this plan precisely because it explains on what the patients’ needs are, what there likes and dislikes are and how their health should be managed on a daily basis. Without this information the carer wouldn’t know about the patient and wouldn’t be able to provide them with the medication or anything that can maintain their health to a good standard because they wouldn’t know how to. Therefore, without this it could lead to the service user feeling upset an ill because if the carer didn’t give the patient what they needed or gave them something they disliked it would make them feel upset at the fact that the nurses should know what they need and their dislikes as they should know the care plan for each patient. For instance, if the client gets tea, but is allergic to tea and each time they drink it may give them swelling and rash, then it would create an unnecessary situation that could have been avoided if the carer had read the care plan.

Computerised communication is a process in which you communicate using technology. It is used almost every day at either schools, colleges, universities or businesses. It is used worldwide and is used every day by people. Most people use Facebook, Instagram, twitter or snap chat every day. Computerised communication provides a quick and easy way to interact with people from all around the world. It has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages to Computerised communication is that messages can be sent to anyone in a matter of seconds, so unlike written communication its faster because to send a letter to another country

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Unit 2 AO1 could take days or perhaps up to a week whereas Computerised communication would just take seconds. The disadvantage to computerised communication is that sometimes there may be bad signal and that can result in an email/message taking time to send or they may get lost so this would mean the individual would have to repeat the process of sending the message again. Computerised communication is also defined as, ‘This is when communication takes place electronically. It is also a very quick form of interacting with people. This type of communication can take place in minutes. (www.answers.com) This definition is similar to my own definition, it indicates that computerised communication is an act of communicating with other individuals through the use of technology. So, this method is fast and easy as it doesn’t take long for others to receive messages. Computerised communication is used in many ways in a care settings such as a hospital. The way in which it can be used for is medical records. This is because a doctor may want to look at the past history of a patient. For example the doctor may want to know what illnesses the patient has had in the past and they may not be sure so he/she would have to go on to their computer and check the medical records. Then, there would be a whole history of what illnesses the patient has had or medicines he/she has received. So, by doing this it will give the doctor better understanding of the client and then they would be able to handle their needs much better. Therefore, Computerised communication makes it a lot quicker to store information or retrieve it. More to the point, the foremost aspect about Computerised communication is that if any data got lost it can be retrieved unlike written because unless

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Unit 2 AO1 there are many written copies of something, it can’t be retrieved once it is lost. So, this is why doctors keep track of all their patients’ records on the computer. Furthermore, if the data wasn’t stored on the computer and was in a book it would be harder to find because it would take longer as it may not be in alphabetic order or the book may get lost. Another way in which computerised communication is used in care setting such as a hospital is when carers may need to look at emails. This is because important information could be carried within the email such as a patients x- rays. For instance the patient may have fallen down the stairs and had injured their arm, so they had an x-ray on their arm to see if it’s broken. If the carer didn’t look at their emails then the patient wouldn’t know if their arm is broken and they wouldn’t able to heal patients arm. So, Computerised communication has made it faster to communicate with people. If it wasn’t for emails people wouldn’t get the information they needed and people would be unorganized and that would give a bad impression to people towards the carer. So, the bad impression would imply to others that the person isn’t reliable or isn’t worth having the job role. Lastly, another way in which computerised communication is used in a care setting such as a hospital is for paging. If a care worker would want to communicate with another care worker who may be on a different ward then a pager would be sued as it is a fast and easy method. So, for instance the patient may need a specialist from the ophthalmology ward because the patient may want to speak to them regarding their eye sight. So, the fastest way to call someone from the ward to discuss the matter with the patient would be to use a pager.

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Unit 2 AO1 Special methods are ways in which individuals communicate with people who have special needs or a disability. There are many different ways in which an individual can communicate with people who can’t read or write. For example, people who are blind use the method ‘braille’ to communicate with other people and for those who can’t hear use British sign language. Also, those with learning difficulties use a method called Makaton which helps children and adults to progress further in life. Special methods can also be defined as ‘The special methods can include British sign language (BSL) for the deaf. It can also include Makaton which is a developing language that uses speech, signs and symbols to help people with learning difficulties. Also special methods can include braille which is for the blind. It is a system of raised marks that can be felt with your fingers.’ (www.answers.com)

This definition sums up my definition. Special methods of communication is used for people with disabilities for those who cannot speak, see or hear. This type of communication is very useful as it gives everyone an opportunity to say what they want to or to have the same opportunity as others. Special methods of communication can be used whenever and wherever in a care setting, so the use of Makaton can be used in the health environment such as a hospital. Makaton is a language in which uses symbols and signs to get a message across to individuals. This method gets the main message across to someone and then the person will have full understanding of what is happening in their surroundings. So, for instance a person who had an appointment in which had been delayed and the person was curious about why it had been delayed or had any

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Unit 2 AO1 queries related to the matter then Makaton would need to be used. If Makaton wasn’t available then the person wouldn’t be able to ask any questions and this would lead them to feeling unsure about the matter. So, the use of Makaton gives people the same opportunity as for those who don’t need to use special methods, it gives them ...