Unit 1 Communication

Question 1

Examples of cultural groups one may encounter:

Answer 1

➢Gender groups
➢Racial groups
➢Generational groups
➢Geographic groups
➢Sexual-preference groups
➢Religious groups
➢Groups based on nonracial physical characteristics (the blind, the deaf, the disabled, the obese)
➢Socioeconomic groups
➢Groups with various types of family structure (singles, unmarried couples with and without children, traditional nuclear families, single parents, parents with children and grandchildren, and large, close-knit extended families)

Question 2

Culturally Significant Attitudes That May Impact Communication

Answer 2

Eye contact, touch, and gestures have different meanings in different cultures

Question 3

Nonverbal Communication

Answer 3

•Examples
➢Eye contact
➢Touch
➢Appearance

•Interpreted based on culture

Question 4

Listening Skills

Answer 4

•Requires more than waiting for your turn to speak
•Ability to give the speaker your full attention and focus

Question 5

Verbal Skills

Answer 5

Ability to use language and content that is appropriate for your patient

Question 6

Attitude

Answer 6

•Nonverbal cues communicate attitude
•Assertiveness is often necessary (Not to be confused with aggression)

Question 7

Validation of Communication

Answer 7

An indication of a clear understanding of the message

Question 8

Communication Under Stress

Answer 8

•Stress interferes with our ability to process information accurately and appropriately
•Suggestions to improve communication effectiveness in a crisis situation:
➢Lower your voice, speak slowly, and clearly.
➢Be nonjudgmental in both verbal and nonverbal cues.
➢Do not allow another’s inappropriate actions or speech to goad you into a similar response.
➢Request confirmation when you are uncertain of the listener’s understanding.

Question 9

6 Communication Skills

Answer 9

•Nonverbal Communication
•Listening Skills
•Verbal Skills
•Attitude
•Validation of Communication
•Communication Under Stress

Question 10

Communication with Patients

Answer 10

•Addressing the patient
•Valid choices
•Avoiding assumptions
•Assessment through communication
•Therapeutic communication

Question 11

Addressing the Patient

Answer 11

•Introductions are normally first.
•Avoid impersonalizing patients, such as identifying patient by the exam rather than by name.
•Address patient appropriately.
➢Avoid use of “honey,” “sweetie,” or other such names

Question 12

Valid Choices

Answer 12

•Defined as alternatives that are all acceptable to you
•Provide patient with a sense of participation in his or her care.

Question 13

Avoiding Assumptions

Answer 13

•Helps in preventing errors during procedures
•Examples of common assumptions:
➢Use of routine positioning techniques for all outpatients
➢Patient understood and followed preparation procedures for contrast

Question 14

Therapeutic Communication

Answer 14

•A process in which the healthcare professional consciously influences a client or helps the client to a better understanding through verbal or nonverbal communication
•Involves the use of specific strategies that convey acceptance and respect
•Encourages the patient to express feelings and ideas

Question 15

Special Circumstances That Affect Communication

Answer 15

•Patients who do not speak English
•The hearing impaired
•Deafness
•Impaired vision
•Inability to speak
•Impaired mental function
•Altered states of consciousness

Question 16

Patients Who Do Not Speak English

Answer 16

• Federal law guarantees patients the right to effective communications.
•Larger hospitals commonly employ interpreters and provide signs in several languages.
•Other facilities have “on-call” interpreters.
•Use of family members as interpreters often problematic
-Tend to edit conversation
• When using an interpreter, look at the patient when speaking
-Looking at the interpreter makes the patient feel excluded.

Question 17

The Hearing Impaired

Answer 17

•Useful tips for communicating with individuals who have hearing loss:
➢Talk to, not about, these persons.
➢Get the patient’s attention before starting to speak.
➢Face the person, preferably with light on your face.
➢Hearing loss is frequently in the upper register, so speak lower as well as louder.
➢Speak clearly at a moderate pace, and do not shout.
➢Avoid noisy background situations.
➢Rephrase when you are not understood.
➢Be patient.

Question 18

Deafness

Answer 18

•Deaf persons have their own culture.
•Chart should be flagged to alert care providers that patient is deaf.
•Certified interpreters usually necessary for effective communications.

Question 19

Impaired Vision

Answer 19

•Ability to function depends on degree of vision loss and length of time since sight was lost or impaired.

•Useful to ask what assistance is needed
➢Some will prefer to touch your elbow as a guide.
➢Others will prefer a description of the surroundings.
•Effective communications are essential.

Question 20

Aphasia is a

Answer 20

defect or loss of language function in which comprehension or expression of words is impaired because of injury to language centers in the brain

Question 21

Impaired Mental Function

Answer 21

•Abilities vary, so individual assessment is key.
•Inappropriate to treat adults with mental disabilities as if they were children.
•Repeating instructions is often useful

Question 22

Altered States of Consciousness

Answer 22

•Important to communicate as if the patient can hear and respond
•Constant observation is required to avoid accidents.
•Tips:
➢Do not rely on patient to remember instructions.
➢Patients are not responsible for their actions/answers.

Question 23

Age-Specific Communication

Answer 23

•Neonate and infant (birth to 1 year)
•Toddler (1–2 years)
•Preschooler (3–5 years)
•School age (6–12 years)
•Adolescent (13–18 years)
•Young adult (19–45 years)
•Middle adult (46–64 years)
•Late adult (65–79 years)
•Old adult (80 years and older)

•Important to learn and practice age-specific communication skills
•Avoid stereotypes.
•Ageism is a discriminatory attitude toward the elderly that includes a belief that all elderly are ill, disabled, worthless, or unattractive

Question 24

Dealing with Death and Loss
•Kübler-Ross stages of grief:

Answer 24

➢Denial—refuses to accept the truth; may refuse to discuss the possibility of loss or death
➢Anger—experiences frustration, outrage; may vent on healthcare workers
➢Bargaining—attempts to earn forgiveness or mitigate loss by being “very good”
➢Depression—often acquiescent, quiet, and withdrawn, and may cry easily
➢Acceptance—accepts the loss or impending death and deals with life and relationships on a more realistic, day-to-day basis