Caring and Communication Ch. 3

Ethics of Caring

Caring (as a feeling) =df concern for others

Caring (as an action) =df efforts made to support the well-being of others

Caring in the context of the imaging professional often involves communication, but not always:

○ preparing your equipment so the patient’s visit is brief is not communication, but is caring when concern for the patient motivates you

Ethics of Caring

Communication is often two way, but not always

Being attuned to a patient’s feelings and reacting accordingly is communication

○ a patient appears anxious and you speed up○ one way transfer of information about another’s

mental states, from the patient to you

Ethics of CaringAids to improving communication (see p60-61):

Communications classes that address body language and listening skills

Critical thinking classes that focus on recognizing, analyzing, and evaluating ethical problems

Discuss films that illustrate caring scenarios (e.g., The Doctor, … and House!)

Empathy rotations that require students to become patients for a day

Review patient surveys that ask about how caring their care was

Law

“[A]ttorneys estimate that a clinician’s communication style and attitude are factors in 75% of malpractice lawsuits.” –p65

Most frequent problems: Inadequate explanation of diagnosis Inadequate explanation of treatment Patient feels ignored

LawHealth Literacy (p63):General literacy (the ability to understand through

reading) affects health literacy

About half of the adults in the US read at or below 9th grade level

Most health care materials are written at or above a 10th grade level

So, imaging professionals need special skills to improve the chances their patients understand them

Law6 Steps to Improve Communication (top of p66):

1. Slow down2. Use plain, nonmedical language3. Use pictures when you can4. Prioritize to limit information5. Repeat the information6. Use teach back or show me technique7. Enlist others to help (family and friends)

(I know, I know … but steps 4 and 5 are combined in the book)

Name five unlisted virtues of the picture above as it relates to communication

Law

Studies show (see p66-67) that patients injured through negligence are not likely to file a lawsuit unless they are also dissatisfied with the care they were shown by health care professionals:

Make a friend of your patient