Nonverbal Communication In Healthcare

Non-verbal Non-verbal communication is the use of facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and posture. A dentist would usually use non-verbal skills by being aware of the tone of voice he /she is using and their own posture. Eye contact is also a way to reassure the patient moreover, it is vital when having communication with the patient. This lets the patient know their options and views are taken into consideration and they are respected.

These seemingly small gestures display an air of friendliness, caring, and approachability, which can go a long way toward making a patient feel safe. When you maintain eye contact with a patient, you continue to foster trust and respect as your relationship progresses. It's also important to respect a patient's boundaries. Some patients feel comforted when their hand is held or they are offered a hug, while other patients may find these actions uncomfortable. Always respect differences in personality and cultures.

This paper will explain the seven principles of patient-clinician communication. It will then apply three of those principles to my interactions with my patients. Next, it will describe three methods being used in my area of practice to improved communication between the patients and clinicians. It will ultimately choose one of those principles that applies best to my practice and clearly describe how I use it. It will describe ethical principles that can be applied to issues with patient-clinician communication.

Most people think that non-verbal communication refers to facial expressions, i.e. expression of ideas and feelings through the face (happy, sad, angry, fear, etc.). Some people identify non-verbal communication with sign language, i.e. language used by deaf people. An understanding of the patient's non-verbal communication includes not only the context of the interview, but also, the level and position of the patient, proximity, how close the dentist is to the patient, i.e. invasion of personal space, the patient's posture, i.e. how they are lying in the dental chair, eye contact between the dentist and patient as well as facial expressions. In most of my shadowing sessions, when the dentist meets his/her patient, the former usually greets the patient looking at him/her on entry to the dental room. The dentist would usually watch the patient along his/her way to the dental chair without having the need to say anything.

The mnemonic SOLER is used to remind healthcare professionals that how to that Reducing proximity, maintaining eye contact and using open postures can show they are listening and concentration on what is being said, and making the speaker feel more comfortable (KRASEZWSKI & McEWEN 2010). Active listening often involves using paraphrasing, summarising verbally what a patient has said to ensure a mutual understanding of the messages send by the patient to the healthcare professional (WALKER 1990). However paraphrasing too often can suggest the healthcare professional finds the words the interviewee uses unacceptable, causing frustration (MOSS 2012). In an evaluation of my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats I highlighted my understanding and use of paraphrasing and active listening as strengths and facial expressions, gestures and touch as weaknesses (Appendix 1). I created an action plan to develop my understanding and use of touch in practice (Appendix

Being in the medical field, you have to collaborate with various people from doctors, EMTs, to nurses. It’s important to communicate with everyone on the team to ensure everyone’s on the same page. Therapeutic communication is used to make sure all the needs of the patients are met. Non-verbal skills are to ensure our patients feel relaxed and respected. Those non-verbal skills are what’s crucial for indicating the overall experience.

COMMUNICATION Communication therefore is a vital in nursing and in all areas of activity and in all its involvements such as health promotion prevention of illness diagnosis, treatment, therapy, rehabilitation and in every other day to day activity. Nursing process has a scientific method of exercise and implementation and this is achieved through dialogue, verbal and non-verbal way of communication Also communication can be defined as the exchange of information, thoughts and feelings among people using dialogue or other means. Effective communication indicates an understanding of the patient and the experiences they convey. Communication requires skills and at the same time the sincere meaning for the nurse to understand what worries the

This theory was made by Michael Argyle (1925- 2002), who was a social psychologist. In the late 1960s he studied social skills, body language, non-verbal communication and interpersonal behaviour. In this study, he found that non-verbal signals can be much more important and useful than verbal communication when trying to trigger peoples’ attitudes and feelings. His research showed and found that the stronger the relationship between the people communicating so with close friends for example the much better eye contact. However, when the relationship is not very strong so when speaking to a stranger people don’t have very good eye contact and they tend to look away when talking.

As a result, a client can feel less lonely or left by himself this allows him to convey his emotions and let go his tension. Listening involves “active” listening (McCabe and Timmins, 2006), which is providing full attention towards client by physically, mentally and emotionally. However, effective listening is a process of “cognitive, behavioural and affective process” (Arnold and Underman Boggs, 2003). Listening can involve non verbal behaviour that can be through eye contact by staring or avoiding eye contact. A nurse can use facial expression like frowning, smiling, biting lips and raising eyebrows as well as body movement with different posture or different gestures and shuffling.

Body gestures or body language can change how a medical assistant is perceived at work. Appropriate body language helps others observe a person as honest, open to ideas, flexible, and engaged in the workplace. Inappropriate body language; rolling the eyes, checking the time, not focusing or making eye contact, can all be viewed as unprofessional are not interested in the job a hand. As stated before, language, grammar, slang, and body gestures are all part of our self-image. If we want to be known as a professional we need to show that we know good grammar and language.

Showing attentive body language such as facial expressions and gestures are just as important. Effective communication creates a positive atmosphere for learning, ensuring the pupil

Sometimes we think that having negative thoughts means that we are “crazy” or “mentally-ill,” but I myself have once heard my doctor say that most of the time that is completely normal, with some exceptions. Expression of body language is important when analyzing a medical case. It feels almost like a sixth sense, but for a reason unknown, I can tell when she is “on the same page” as I am. To realize that doctors are human too is empowering, in my opinion, because this gives us the opportunity to develop a relationship of trust and it reassures us that we are not

In the film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, there are four characteristics of a controlled environment. These include; status hierarchy, depersonalization, adjustment, and institution. Viewers can see these ideas through different scenes and situations in the movie. The overall movie stems from institutionalization, because it is set in a psychiatric hospital, which keeps the patients there confined to a strict environment and schedule. Doctors and nurses look at small traits or changes as something significant, whereas in the real world that small trait would appear as a norm and be overlooked.

Having the opportunity to listen to patients during their interactions with physicians while shadowing in primary care practices was most profound to my journey of pursuing a career in medicine. Often the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions are regarded as most important in providing successful care to patients. However, from my experience shadowing, it became apparent that the act of listening to patients is just as essential to the practice of clinical medicine. While shadowing, I was amazed of how often and to the extent patients would disclose their thoughts, feelings, and fears to their physician. I began to understand that to be a physician is much more than treating the body itself, but caring for all of its components— physically,

Eye contact also plays a vital role in effective communication. There are times when we experience words that come out of our mouth and the ways we communicate through our body language are totally different. In this kind of situation, the receiver has to determine whether to believe verbal or nonverbal message. Regularly the receiver would select the nonverbal as it is more natural and it truly displays the speaker’s true feeling and intention. The gestures such as the way we sit, how fast and how loud we talk and how much eye contact we make send strong messages to the receiver.