Introduction
Effective therapeutic communication is the process of exchanging thoughts, ideas, knowledge, data, and opinions in which the needs of older people should be reflected. The behavior should be positive so that expression can become open and enable aged patients to talk about their issues. The chosen case study has been suggesting that “therapeutic communication” is a purposeful and effective interaction between patients and healthcare professionals (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2019). Here, the factors that are associated with it have been depicted by this considered case study so that the welfare of patients can be done and they can get satisfaction. Good communication is one of the most important healing features for treating old people and because of it, they can avail proper treatment.
Discussion
“Therapeutic communication” is an effective measure to convey information for giving the best possible treatment to aged people. In the chosen case study, it has been seen that healthcare professionals have poorly implemented this feature (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2019). Medical students have been required to build good relationships with old-aged patients whom they have not been able to do so that is clear from the depiction of the chosen case study. In this case, their interpersonal skills, competency level, and eagerness to treat people play a crucial role improving in their character. As per the view of Vaduganathan et al. (2020), this can forbid making medical errors, improve health outcomes, and strengthen the relationship with patients. Apart from that, it has also been noted that it will be able to provide great assistance to healthcare professionals to limit their interaction time which enables them to perform their tasks in a hassle-free manner.
In this regard, improvement of communication is required and for proceeding with it healthcare professionals should start their communication with their correct body language. As per the understanding of Ward (2018), this is an effective measure for avoiding any distractions to patients as well as sharing the right message of care. Here, maintaining eye contact has been playing one of the most crucial roles to progress with effective communication with patients. As a result, patients are capable of providing the information. This is crucially required for the case of aged people and its application of it can enable them to treat older patients up to a further extent.
It has been observed that using proper language is also a crucial part that is associated with it. In this perspective, they are to avoid the use of connotations that can reflect ethnic or cultural background. As an example, using words such as “cancer” maybe like a “death sentence” for them and can make them feel stressed (Nia.nih.gov, 2018). Due to this reason, before making any communication, it has to be remembered for giving them the best possible treatment. From the point of view of Tchkonia & Kirkland (2018), right posture, and proper body language are capable of showing their feelings as well as intentions. The chosen case study has been showcasing the example of the conduct of nurses to its patients which denotes that they have been incapable of focusing on this matter. Due to this reason, they need to give effective heed to meeting the needs of aged people by treating them.
To get agility in treating old people and making therapeutic communication, they have to feel their pain which is another effective strategy. As per the description of Blazin et al. (2018), gaining of trust of patients has been becoming the most crucial factor for understanding the main reason behind their illness. Following the mentioned strategies can be very beneficial to create a positive relationship that enables their clients to share their feelings in a hassle-free manner. They have to understand the situation of aged people and because of their age, they might have been going through frustration, pain, and anxiety. As a result, they are not accustomed to sharing their feelings. Hence, making ease on this factor is vitally needed which can be done by building a positive relationship with their patients.
As per the opinion of Yuan et al. (2020), Social rank theory has been depicting that anxiety, trust, and communication are interrelated with each other. In this case, it has been seen that a person-centric approach needs to be taken by healthcare professionals who clearly describe the chosen case study as well. Here, it has been required to gain insight into the needs of such people which can be done vigorously, if they can build a positive relationship with them.
Making aged patients comfortable and remaining healthcare professional neutral can be another important strategy for treating these people. As per the argument of Pun (2021), it has been noted that many nurses have been facing difficulty in keeping neutral by hearing their beliefs, values, and feelings. It is not good for giving an efficacious treatment to aged people which is reflected in the chosen case study. As they are not accepting whatever is said by the patients, they have been getting discouraged from telling their main problems. As a result, their main motive has been constantly deviating from the right track. On the other hand, it has to be acknowledged that because of this disagreement, clients can change their behavior and make different assumptions. Due to this reason, it can come up with too much hassle in providing proper treatment. In this regard, before going through this mentioned step, they should focus on the comfort of patients. In this case, they can ask them for seating, and in case they have been visiting for the first time, then they should assist in filling out forms if it is necessary. On the other hand, it has been observed that patients have to wait a lot and it should be paid heed that it can be reduced.
Many factors can break down therapeutic communication in which disagreement is one of them. Due to this reason, a strategy can be taken in which healthcare should give a chance to their client to choose the conversation topic. As per the perception of Yadav et al. (2019), it can provide them assistance to show that healthcare has been capable of giving them value. As a result, older people can get enough enthusiasm to explain their situation. This is crucially required as the description of the case study is suggesting that healthcare professionals have failed to do so. It is very problematic and rectifying them following this mentioned strategy can enable them to catch the attention of patients.
The discussion indicates that following this strategy can provide benefits to healthcare to a great extent to meet their objective of treating patients. On account of this, it has to be remembered that healthcare professionals should not show haste. In this case, they should ask questions gradually as they are old which is creating a barrier to giving answers to the rapid-fire questions and providing their answers quickly. Apart from that, sometimes, it is noted that they have a problem understanding it as well which is an issue. This is an issue because old people will not be capable of reflecting on their feelings and as a result, it cannot be possible to make a great move to provide them treatment.
Conclusion
This can be concluded that therapeutic communication is undoubtedly an effective measure for understanding the main problem of aged people to provide them treatment. In this regard, the interpersonal skills of healthcare professionals play a crucial role in getting a positive outcome. Here, the chosen case study showcases that patients have been neglecting that therapeutic communication is not up to the mark. To make improvements, they should make their body language proper at the time of communication with the patients. On the other hand, feeling their pain and showing it can enable them to earn their trust which can make them one step ahead to provide them with the best possible treatment. Apart from that, they have to keep them neutral and should provide the first chance to the client to choose the conversation topic to mitigate the mentioned issue.
References
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Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (2019).Predictors of therapeutic communication between nurses and hospitalized patients.https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.heliyon.2019.e02665
Nia.nih.gov (2018). Tips for Improving Communication with Older Patients. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/tips-improving-communication-older-patients
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