More handpicked essays just for you.
Importance of active listening skills in the workplace
Ethics and professionalism in the healthcare field
Ethics in health and social care
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
It is important not only as a health care provider, but as a person in general that we refrain from passing judgement while listening to others and instead show understanding and compassion. Showing a patient you care puts them at ease, making them comfortable to disclose personal information.
This story was filled with many memorable points beginning to end, but if I had to pick one thing that really stuck with me it would be when Mr. Gee revealed “I keep the lights on while I am in bed because the ghosts come out in the dark. I keep the lights on to keep them away, so I do not sleep.” I was so surprised to learn that while many doctors believed Mr. Gee’s condition was a complicated undiagnosed medical problem it was actually caused by a fear rooted in cultural beliefs. He had done something he was ashamed of and his fatigue was from not sleeping due to a fear of ghostly visitations. This clearly depicts how problems have deeper origins then what appears on the surface. It is essential to look beyond lab values and speak to the patient to unveil the source of the complication.
Another aspect of the story that stood out to me was when Mr. Gee revealed his definition of a hypertensive crisis. He explained that when he has one of his “episodes” he could feel the build up of internal pressure, claiming that it had to be “200 or more.” Little did his doctors know, Mr. Gee’s blood pressure episodes were anxiety. He was feeling chest pain and assigning it a high value, but never having it confirmed with a proper blood pressure reading. This showed why medical terminology should be avoided if there is not a clear understanding of its meaning. Once again, if his doctors sat down and talked to Mr. Gee they would have determined th...
... middle of paper ...
... say the first thing that came to mind to keep the conversation flowing, and I now know that isn’t necessary. It is just as effective to provide comfort through mannerism and expression as it is through words. I used to respond to a patient telling me about their co-morbidities by saying “Ok”, but now I have learned that a lot of emotion and understanding is conveyed throughout mannerisms and this is a skill I will utilize in future counseling scenarios. More often than not, those unspoken words actually result in the patient further informing you of the current situation. This assignment also reinforced what we learned in class regarding how important it is not to judge our patients. It is much easier to judge a patient when they tell us something unusual then it is to be compassionate, that is why empathy is a skill that requires practice and is developed.
Grant successfully managed to treat Mr. G she comes to the realization that a doctor should not judge a patient no matter how they may act, as each patient may have a reason for acting the way they do. Dr. Grant has managed to learn how to combine her own personal experience with her doctoral skills she had learned in medical schools. Dr Grant believes. “ …[A]fter twenty-eight years of schooling, my education continues, both inside and outside the classroom” ( 183). Mr. G was the key figure in changing Dr. Grants judgement. If Mr. G had not shed light onto why he was in the hospital and how he felt stripped of his freedom to Dr. Grant she probably would have just branded him as crazy, she probably would have done the same to similar patients. As Dr. Grant states, “ … I was proud of myself for having accomplished my task… I was proud of myself because I had decided not to prejudge Mr. G” (182). Mr. G exposing his true emotions to Dr. Grant was the reason that she learned that she should not judge unique patients but instead, she should try to communicate with them and better understand so she can better help
When we see patients, we must remember that we are not simply treating a disease. We are caring for people with lives, hobbies, jobs, families, and friends, who are likely in a very vulnerable position. We must ensure that we use the status of physicians to benefit patients first and foremost, and do what we promised to when we entered the profession: provide care and improve quality of life, and hopefully leave the world a little better than it was
“The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 made it illegal to gain access to personal medical information for any reasons other than health care delivery, operations, and reimbursements” (Shi & Singh, 2008, p. 166). “HIPAA legislation mandated strict controls on the transfer of personally identifiable health data between two entities, provisions for disclosure of protected information, and criminal penalties for violation” (Clayton 2001). “HIPAA also has privacy requirements that govern disclosure of patient protected health information (PHI) placed in the medical record by physicians, nurses, and other health care providers” (Buck, 2011). Always remember conversations about a patient’s health care or treatment is a violation of HIPAA. “All PHI is included in the privacy requirements for example: the patient’s past, present or future physical or mental health or condition; the provision of health care to the individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual, and that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual” (Buck, 2011). Other identifiable health information would be the patient’s name, address, birth date and Social Security Number (Keomouangchanh, 2011). (Word count 197)
Out of all the duties of a nurse, one of the most important duties is how the nurse honors the trust of a patient by maintaining the patient’s privacy and safeguarding the patient’s information confidentially. Privacy is the ability of the patient to make the choices in how to handle information regarding him or herself that other individuals are not aware of. As an example, prior to releasing the patient’s private information, the nurse must notify the patient on how their information will be handled and get consent from the patient
In today’s society with the blogs, the gossip sites and the other forms of social media, confidentiality is a thing of the past. However, for, physicians and other health professionals, they are held to a higher standard to maintain a level of ethics and confidentiality for their patients. Confidentiality is a major duty for a health professional, but is there ever a time to where it is okay to tell what a patient says in confident? What if the patient is a minor, or a senior citizen or someone who is mentally challenged? What if a patient is being abused or wants to commit suicide? Does it matter if it is a nurse, or a dentist, or a psychologist or is all medical professional held to the same moral standard? What roles does a consent form or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act plays in the medical world in being confidentiality? I would like to explore Confidentiality and the moral effects it has on the health profession.
It is not okay to discuss clinical information in public areas even if a patient's name is not used. This can raise doubts among patients and visitors about our respect for their privacy" (personal communication, Massachusetts General Hospital, Privacy and Confidentiality Committee, 2004).
As health care providers, nurses strive to instill confidence in their patients and their loved ones. A nurse is respectful to their colleagues as well as their patients. Nurses promote patients’ independence, patients can be confident in the knowledge that a nurse will do what is best for them, respecting their privacy and dignity. This means that a nurse does not share the patient information for personal reasons nor does the nurse get involved in a patients personal relationship if it is not medically relevant (NCSBN, 2011).
All health care employees will do everything within their power to protect the patient’s right to privacy. This means they will follow the HIPAA law closely. They will disclose information that is relevant to a specialist or treatment. Also, means they will release information that a patient has asked for as promptly as possible.
...using words your patient is used to and will understand. Clarify your message with body language, tone of voice, facial expression touch and gestures.
I am the patient, is an article that sends a very strong message. This article reminded me of the video we watched in Clinicals called “Empathy: Exploring Human Connection” that was made by the Cleveland Clinic. After reading this article, it made me think about how important it is to treat our patients with high quality care, but to also treat them as a human being. Although they are our patients, we have to keep in mind that they are also someone else’s father, a mother, daughter, sister, and hero. It is understandable that patient information should be confidential, but health care workers should also understand that they have to be aware of the nicknames that are used to label a patient. As a matter of fact, if a patient can hear healthcare
During my care, I was not interacting with the patient rather I was ignoring her statements. Although I was listening attentively and demonstrating attending behaviours by maintaining eye contact and appropriate nonverbal cues I was not connected to her verbally. It is important that there is client-centered communication to make the patient feel comfortable at all times. When the patient was discussing her pain I did not ask the appropriate questions. It is crucial that nurses respond to client empathetically and in a knowledgeable manner (Maruca et al., 2015). Responding to the patient makes them feel understood. In this particular situation because the patient was discussing her pain, I should have assessed her pain. My main focus during the transfer was completing the task and I was unaware of what was happening around me. Empathy often is lost in nursing student in the clinical settings as they become more focused on their professional skills (Maruca et al., 2015). However, if I had felt more competent about my skills I would have been more able to focus less on the task and more on the patient’s feelings. I was not considering the patient’s feelings and was more concerned with my own which was very selfish of me. It is important to gain insight into what the patient is experiencing, what the illness
Doctor patient confidentiality, is a fundamental element of the practice of medicine. Patients can expect that doctors and their support staff will hold confidential information about them in confidence, unless the release of the information is required by law or for public interest reasons. Ensuring confidentiality is retained allows doctors to examine their patients and receive all relevant information about their condition without a worry of judgement or sharing of the information.
Empathy is like reading a story; although the events in the story aren't happening to us, we are still able to connect emotionally to them. If a character in a story we like is hurt, we feel bad for them but oppositely if a character we hate is hurt, we feel relieved or even glad. Whether we like the protagonist or antagonist we have the natural ability to feel an emotional connection to others like us. Agreeing with the article ”Empathy is a actually a choice” by Daryl Cameron, because of this instinct to choose a certain type of person to connect with, empathy is a choice.
Patients seek healthcare professionals for assistance, treatment, guidance, and for quality of care. There is an emphasis on the trust patients place in the hands of health care professionals. Because every patient differs, not all would want their information released to them regarding the conditions. However, the majority of the patients
This also that nurses need to make sure that patients have the information about their care and the information about themselves is shared suitably and correctly. Nurses have to respect a patient’s right to confidentiality and privacy in all form of their care and also after they have died. In healthcare, nurses need to ensure that patients are well informed about how and why their information is used for and shared by healthcare providers who will be looking after them. Nurses only can share the patients’ information when necessary with their colleagues and agencies when the interests of client safety and public security revoke the need for confidentiality and also share with patients’ family and their carers, but it needs to be allowed by the law, the information they need to know about patients’ health, care and the treatment that goes on continuously and in a way they will be understand. Nurses can also cooperate with the media but only when it is suitable to do, therefore it always needs to be protecting the patients’ confidentiality and