Gelisim News

Suggesting to health care personnel in the training about ‘Patient and Communication’, Istanbul Gelisim University School of Health Sciences Child Development Department Chairman Asst. Prof. Dr. Nurten Elkin also mentioned the points that health personnel should pay attention to in order to eliminate the reasons that prevent health personnel from healthy communication with the patient.

“EMPATHIC APPROACH SHOULD BE EXHIBITED”

Saying that there are some reasons that prevent health personnel from healthy communication with the patient, Assist. Prof. Dr. Nurten Elkin explained: “Health personnel should communicate with the patient by considering the educational status, cultural and social status of the patient. In the communication established without considering the appropriate language and communication style, patients avoid asking questions by getting feelings such as fear, anxiety and shyness. In order to eliminate such communication problems, patients should be empathically approached and especially avoid using excessive medical terms.

“PATIENT’S SELF-CONFIDENCE MUST BE STRENGTHENED”

Ms Elkin explained the points to eliminate the reasons that prevent healthy communication between the health personnel and the patient this way:

“Creating an atmosphere where the patient feels comfortable at the first meeting, welcoming with interest and smiles, active listening, effective and coherent verbal and non-verbal communication, evaluating the body language clues of the patient in the non-verbal communication, use a plain language avoiding medical terms, empathising with the patient, finding out whether the patient correctly comprehends given information by the verbal and non-verbal communication or not, remembering the presence of patient where health personnel-physician and patient trio are, making some explanations by asking questions if necessary and answering all the questions that the patient has; considering the temperature, light, air conditioning situations that can affect the patient’s optic, hearing and tissue canals during the conversation; giving feedback considering that communication can break during routine work, to keep silent from time to time to encourage patient speech, allowing for speaking to the patient, collaborating in the decisions about the patient’s self-care,  strengthening the patient’s self-belief and self-confidence, setting the tone well while talking to the patient, supporting the beliefs that can help the patient recover.”
 
 “ACCURATE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION”

Saying that the patient decision to see a doctor for her/his health problem start the communication process, Ms Elkin cited: “In fact, it is often a sudden, unplanned and unprepared communication. Therefore, it is important that this communication process ends without causing any communication accident. The results that patients and health personnel want to achieve in these communications are the same, which are the patient's recovery and the most effective health service from the institution. The purpose of physicians and health personnel is that patient 's recovery and health problems are to be solved. As a result, the common purpose of our healthcare providers and patients is the same so accurate and effective communication will facilitate our work.”