Explain the role of effective communication in health and social care
Form of communication
Between professional and service users
The first form of communication I am going to talk about is oral and verbal communication, oral and verbal communication is usually used between professionals and service users by having oral and verbal communication ensures that there is an understanding between the service user and professional. Professionals have more of an understanding therefore by speaking to the professional about the issues they are able to give an immediate solution and feedback. This also ensures clarity. For example if a service user struggles with depression the professional is able to advice the service user on what to do and provide feedback from what they suffered from. Having oral communication allows the service user to provide different ways of repeating what they have said therefore the professional can understand the problem correctly making this an effective communication. If the communication is effective this ensures provision of care and the problem is identified correctly which can be agreed on by making sure that the issue has been received problem i.e. justification. The professional can then provide the service user with a treatment they are confident with as they have more knowledge about the problem and the service user can then receive the best care in order to get better or feel better i.e. self-esteem. A professional must speak in a manner and a respectable way towards the service user therefore they feel more comfortable to speak to a professional; if the service user feel confident speaking to the service user they will build their self-esteem and feel more comfortable to talk to them about anything that they are concerned about however if the professional approaches the service user in a rude manner the service user may feel restricted into telling the professional or they may not tell the service user and they don’t feel comfortable.
Between professionals
Communication between professionals to professional is vital for many reasons. One of the reason is because they share information between each for example care takers will give each other information about a resident that they have been looking after during the work rotation. If there is a new care taker the other care takers will make sure that they will check the newer care takers understanding therefore they do not struggle whilst doing something or they are left confused whilst doing something but too embarrassed/ shy to ask. The professionals can get immediate feedback from another professional to get a second opinion about the advice or medication given therefore it is a strong recommendation, they can also share ideas to resolve a solution. Another example is when a care taker is on duty and is rotating she can give instructions of what needs to be done to the other person taking over therefore there is not confusion or conflict on what has been done at the care home.
Written communication
Between professionals
One of the written communications that professionals are required to do is plan the treatment given, by doing this allows the professional to know what to do with the patient, for example; if the patient is diagnosed with depression the doctor may see the patient more than once to evaluate the persons behavior before giving a certain amount of dose. The professionals then record the treatment which is kept permanent. This is very crucial because if the patient sees another doctor the information can then be transferred therefore there is no confusion this is also sharing information about an patient this allows everyone who is involved know what is happening or going to happen which will provide support and understanding; another reason why its kept on the record is because the treatment may need to change in the future for various reasons, it also allows the doctor to see the individuals behavior from a young history to pick up any sign from before or what medication they were on before if the course of medication has finished a while ago however the issue has risen again. The professionals also check how effective has the treatment/ care been, for example if the individual with depression keeps having deep and unwanted thoughts with the treatment given the individual may feel more relaxed and may see a change in mood i.e. more peaceful and happier, the professionals will evaluate and assess this over a period of time to see the different moods the individual goes through which will give a reflection on how well the treatment/ care worked this will ensure the correct treatment is given.
Between service user and professionals
The service users have their own accurate and clear record of the meeting they have had, this is because it is evidence shown about the decision that have been made are correct and agreed on as well as an understanding of what has been spoken about and how is the treatment/ care given. For example the service user may be transferred to clinic that specializes in depression, the meetings held with the doctor may be given as a hard copy to a patient therefore they can keep a record about their own progress and if they see an improvement. The patients may also use this record for future appointment and plans for example “my aim is to wake up with positive thoughts once I complete this before I go sleep I will look back at what I did that was good”. The service users will slowly open up to the professionals and start building a trusting relationship therefore what the professional has said to the service will happen at that time that was given. For example the professional may tell the service user in 3 weeks you will wake up more peacefully, in order for the professional to keep that trust he/ she must now ensure the patient wakes up more peacefully in the 3rd week however the professional cannot make any false promises and it will jeopardize the patient getting better.