HLTH103 Communication For Health Professionals - Reflection Analysis on Essay

Introduction

This essay critically analyzes the communication between healthcare professional and the patient’s attendant. The video recording of the discussion, entitled OUTPATIENT_JUVENILE_DIABETES has been used for this critical reflection.

Communication Style

It is commendable that the health care professional has, throughout the conversation, made use of a patient-centered approach. This is demonstrated from the regular participation that the professional opens for with the patient himself. The remarks which have been made by the health care professional are quite empathetic and are reflective of care and compassion. The healthcare professional has demonstrated genuineness and respect for the sentiments of the patient. For instance, at one point during the conversation, she asked the patient whether there are soft drinks coming in the house and whether his siblings consume soft drinks in front of him. The patient answered positively to which the healthcare professional remarked that it is very important for diabetic patients to get rid of soft drinks. The professional also formulated a strategy for the patient to abandon inappropriate and junk food items: ‘one step at a time’. All of this suggests that not only the tone of the healthcare professional with the patient was empathetic but also the body language was congruent.

It is also worth mentioning that during the conversation, the healthcare professional regularly demonstrated a reflective speech; the communication may be regarded as open-ended - rather participative - in which questions were asked from the patient and his attendant, and the floor was then left open for them to respond. Paraphrasing and repeating what the attendant of the patient or the patient himself has just mentioned is also a communication skill which has been effectively used by the healthcare professional.

Barrier to Effective Communication

Although the communication went smoothly, there was a psychological barrier which was observed such that this particular barrier restricted a clear and explicit communication between the healthcare professional and the patient. One example can be discussed in this context. The healthcare professional got to know that the siblings of the patient eat junk food items such as cakes in front of the patient at home. Upon getting to know this, the professional should have declared this a negative trait or attitude by the siblings explicitly. However, she did not say anything to the attendant of the patient – his mother. This may be regarded as a psychological barrier to effective communication. 

Achievement

In the light of the discussion which followed between the healthcare professional and the diabetic patient, it can be said that the healthcare professional was, nevertheless, able to achieve a mutual understanding with the patient. The healthcare professional refrained the patient from having junk food items such as soft drinks and cakes. A mutual arrangement was made regarding the consistency of the sugar level of the patient between 4 and 8. This is a major achievement primarily due to the fact that the discussion which has been presented in the work of Stanyon et al. (2016) also concurs with the idea that it is important for healthcare professionals to make a mutual arrangement with the patient explicitly and clearly. The strategy of ‘one step at a time’, which has been introduced by the healthcare professional herself, also goes a long way; according to researchers including Salyers et al. (2017), it is important to build on positive habits in small but concrete and authentic portions and foundations.