Communication Matters
Let's talk about how Health Provider Communication matters...
Recently I visited a family friend in the hospital. He was there because he had an aneurysm that ruptured in is aorta and had to have surgery to repair it. He is 86 years old. Now, let's talk about his nurse while I was there. He was in the cardiac ICU floor of the hospital. She came in, did not introduce herself, started working on his IV and then left. She did not wash her hands when she came in, she did not put gloves on, and she did not wash her hands when she left. She did not ask him if he was in pain correctly. Her words were "No Pain?". That could have meant, "What I am doing is not going to have pain", or "You don't have any pain do you?"...etc. We don't really know what she was trying to accomplish with those words.
Let's skip ahead to when she comes back in 30 minutes later with another nurse and they decide to completely change out his IV tubing. Again, this was not explained. They did not ask if he had any pain, and his facial expressions and movements clearly showed he had some discomfort. They just went about their "task" because it was required every 2 days to change the tubing. We found that out later in the conversation they were having among themselves. Both still lacked in explaining what their process would be or what they would be doing. Again, no communication.
Let's skip ahead to the next 30 minutes. My family friend is now grimacing and in complete discomfort. The original nurse comes in and again says "no pain?" What kind of communication is this? I then said out loud, "are you having any pain?" He then was able to express that yes, in fact he was. She then decided to grab some medication for him. She still did not speak to him while doing so. My strongest questions would be, why are you doing this job? Do you know he is a person and needs communication? Do you know that he has no clue what to ask or what to expect? Do you know that he is 86 years old and lives in the country and has seen a doctor once in the last 5 years? Do you know that this is the first time he has had major surgery?
And the answers would be, "no" because she did not take the time to get to know him, his needs, or his ability to understand what is going on.
I experience this type of communication consistently in healthcare. Here's is what I have to say to these types of healthcare providers, meaning nurses, doctors, nurse aids, therapists, etc., "this person that is in front of you, is not just another subject for you to get through today. This is a human being who has needs or they would not be in front of you, whether it is a hospital, clinic room, a nursing home, an assisted living apartment, or a home health setting. We have to get back to the basics of humanity."
This nurse not only treated my family friend like a subject in class, but also failed to follow simple infection control. The lack of washing or sanitizing her hands in several instances is the kind of behaviors that created hospital acquired infections. This is a basic task that can prevent huge issues. My family friend just had major surgery to repair his aorta and had open wounds. He is 86 years old and incredibly vulnerable to infection.
Did you know that most people have the health literacy of a 5th grader? If that is the case, then why do some healthcare providers assume that someone knows what STAPH, MRSA, BM, UTI, etc. mean? We have to be able to communicate at everyone's level. And just because someone has a healthcare background, it doesn't mean they are an expert in what is going on with them or their family. Get back to the basics and speak to everyone in a way they can truly understand. This doesn't cover if there is a language or cultural barrier. A language barrier brings a whole new level of communication need. It is not our place to judge if someone has a cultural issue with certain types of health care provisions. It is our place to respect that person and educate to help them decide on their plan of care.
I say we get back to the basics of human connection. People are not numbers, we are not another bill, we are not another subject, we are not a head in a bed. We are people. We are human, and we matter. Our communication matters. 5 minutes can make a huge difference. It takes less than 5 minutes to explain the next step or the diagnosis. Frankly, if it takes more than 5 minutes, so what! Do what is right for the patient and the family!
-Angela Cross
Recently I visited a family friend in the hospital. He was there because he had an aneurysm that ruptured in is aorta and had to have surgery to repair it. He is 86 years old. Now, let's talk about his nurse while I was there. He was in the cardiac ICU floor of the hospital. She came in, did not introduce herself, started working on his IV and then left. She did not wash her hands when she came in, she did not put gloves on, and she did not wash her hands when she left. She did not ask him if he was in pain correctly. Her words were "No Pain?". That could have meant, "What I am doing is not going to have pain", or "You don't have any pain do you?"...etc. We don't really know what she was trying to accomplish with those words.
Let's skip ahead to when she comes back in 30 minutes later with another nurse and they decide to completely change out his IV tubing. Again, this was not explained. They did not ask if he had any pain, and his facial expressions and movements clearly showed he had some discomfort. They just went about their "task" because it was required every 2 days to change the tubing. We found that out later in the conversation they were having among themselves. Both still lacked in explaining what their process would be or what they would be doing. Again, no communication.
Let's skip ahead to the next 30 minutes. My family friend is now grimacing and in complete discomfort. The original nurse comes in and again says "no pain?" What kind of communication is this? I then said out loud, "are you having any pain?" He then was able to express that yes, in fact he was. She then decided to grab some medication for him. She still did not speak to him while doing so. My strongest questions would be, why are you doing this job? Do you know he is a person and needs communication? Do you know that he has no clue what to ask or what to expect? Do you know that he is 86 years old and lives in the country and has seen a doctor once in the last 5 years? Do you know that this is the first time he has had major surgery?
And the answers would be, "no" because she did not take the time to get to know him, his needs, or his ability to understand what is going on.
I experience this type of communication consistently in healthcare. Here's is what I have to say to these types of healthcare providers, meaning nurses, doctors, nurse aids, therapists, etc., "this person that is in front of you, is not just another subject for you to get through today. This is a human being who has needs or they would not be in front of you, whether it is a hospital, clinic room, a nursing home, an assisted living apartment, or a home health setting. We have to get back to the basics of humanity."
This nurse not only treated my family friend like a subject in class, but also failed to follow simple infection control. The lack of washing or sanitizing her hands in several instances is the kind of behaviors that created hospital acquired infections. This is a basic task that can prevent huge issues. My family friend just had major surgery to repair his aorta and had open wounds. He is 86 years old and incredibly vulnerable to infection.
Did you know that most people have the health literacy of a 5th grader? If that is the case, then why do some healthcare providers assume that someone knows what STAPH, MRSA, BM, UTI, etc. mean? We have to be able to communicate at everyone's level. And just because someone has a healthcare background, it doesn't mean they are an expert in what is going on with them or their family. Get back to the basics and speak to everyone in a way they can truly understand. This doesn't cover if there is a language or cultural barrier. A language barrier brings a whole new level of communication need. It is not our place to judge if someone has a cultural issue with certain types of health care provisions. It is our place to respect that person and educate to help them decide on their plan of care.
I say we get back to the basics of human connection. People are not numbers, we are not another bill, we are not another subject, we are not a head in a bed. We are people. We are human, and we matter. Our communication matters. 5 minutes can make a huge difference. It takes less than 5 minutes to explain the next step or the diagnosis. Frankly, if it takes more than 5 minutes, so what! Do what is right for the patient and the family!
-Angela Cross
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