Communication in a Health Care SettingProper care in any health care setting is contingent on effective communication between patients and providers. "Effective communication promotes collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork, helps ensure that ethical and legal responsibilities and professional patient standards are met, and contributes to positive patient outcomes" (Jakubek & Astle, 2014, p. 243). During a personal care home visit, verbal and non-verbal interactions were observed between a combination of health care providers and residents. The aim of this paper is to look at environmental influences, positive and negative communication, and suggestions for therapeutic concepts that could be applied to provide effective communication.EnvironmentAccording to Jakubek & Astle (2014), environmental distractions are common ...view middle of the document...
The team station was designed at an appropriate height for interaction among ambulatory and non-ambulatory residents. Picture-based information located throughout the unit helped residents with different mental capacities understand hospital menus and identify the date and weather. There were personal photos with corresponding names on each resident's door and several other visual cues such as white boards, listing various patient activities for the day. These were great orientation tools for staff, residents, and visitors which created a pleasant environment. The overall atmosphere was positive and outgoing with lots of lighting, windows, and room for private or social interactions.Many of the barriers to communication that were observed were related to high levels of background noise, which appeared to significantly influence the ability of residents with hearing impairments, as well as residents with aphasia or cognitive impairments.There was a constant humming noise on the unit, making communication difficult even from a short distance. A shelf divider containing a television was used to separate the dining area and the common room. The television was encased by plexiglass with holes drilled for sound and this appeared to be distracting for residents visiting family members in the dining area as the sound of the television echoed through the divider. Call buzzers were rather loud and irritating if not turned off in timely fashion. On two separate occasions throughout the observation period, oxygen machines were used on residents sitting in the common area. This was identified as a significant barrier to communicating effectively for both staff and residents.There were several identified environmental barriers that could be addressed in order to provide effective and efficient communications among care providers and residents, but overall residents did not appear to be overly affected and there seemed to be ample space for independence.
