Do you work in the healthcare industry?
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The best advice I've been given about communicating in a healthcare setting is to not view it as a healthcare setting.
I find that a casual approach is most reassuring and has the best patient impact. Treat them as a friend... as if you've known them all along and just popped by their house. Avoid using medical terminology... that alienates the patient and tends to make them feel inferior. Some medical phrases are fine, but just be sure you can break it down into vernacular.
A lot of the conversations I have with my patients have very little to do with the problem at hand. I ask an open ended question and let them go on. Of course, make sure you ask simple, direct questions to get the answers you actually need. But aside from the key questions, let them just talk to you.
This works especially well on the elderly. Plus their failing memories make for some amusing conversations.
Don't be shy. Pretend you know exactly what you're doing even if you're scared out of your mind and have never seen anything like that before.
no
Is this like a homework assignment?
active listening, making eye contact, using approved abbreviations, writing complete and legible notes...thats what i can come up with on the spot
Treat your patients as you would want to be treated if you were in the same situation, or the same way you would want a family member treated. Don't treat them as a number or a room number or "the guy in the last room on the left". Active listening, good eye contact, ask them how they would like to be addressed ie} Do you prefer to be called Joe, Joseph or Mr. Smith. Many patients are untrusting of the whole medical field, so you need to establish a working rapport with them, and gain their trust. Never perform a procedure no matter how minor without explaining it to them. Will try to think of some more later
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