In this article, I will reveal after a experience which I had with an individual using the Gibbs circuit of reflection (Gibbs, 1998) to help signpost my answer and help the audience to read this essay with ease.
Description of the function: Within my clinical placement I've encountered lots of patients, each one possessing a distinctive personality in that way required a slight version of my professional behaviour in order to communicate most effectively with every individual. During one particular placement within my allocated medical center, I encountered an individual who was young than the patients which i had previous fulfilled and conversed with over the previous months. The individual, aged three months, attended the medical center with his dad regarding his physiotherapy for his Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I used to be asked to handle a subjective assessment of the patient however, the setting up of this encounter was rather not the same as the set-up which had been used in the past, and although I had developed seen patients who had been younger before, this patient was different as it quickly became clear that he previously been helped bring by his daddy who was struggling to speak fluent British and was also struggling to understand much British at all.
In the normal situation with young patients, because of the patients young age and the presence of her dad, it might be typical to direct almost all of the questioning for the patients parents or guardian with whom they went to alternatively than at the individual himself, regardless of the necessary inclusion of the individual in the dialogue wherever possible. I'd then physically examine the patient. However, in this setting, it was very difficult to ask any questions to both patient or even to their parent or guardian and instead, the majority of the info about the fitness of the individual and their physiotherapeutic interventions that they required was gained from the study of the patient rather than from any information that they provided.
Feelings: Upon reflection, I feel that although, initially the situation does both feel and appearance new and challenging, my potential to talk to the client was not helped by the fact which i was unable to think of a fresh way to phrase the questions, which I had. In addition, the patient's father kept taking a look at the trained physiotherapist (my mentor) for reassurance and instruction with the words being used and thus, this made me also look towards my coach for help. When my coach took over the line of questioning, and the conduction of the diagnosis, his methodology was to ask the patients the questions in a noisy and slow tone of voice. This appeared to aid the patient's fathers understanding greatly. I noticed, at this time however, which i possessed let myself and the coach down, when i was unable to conduct the steps which I was expecting to and I also sensed that I got allow patient down, through my inability to converse effectively with them.
When examining the patient, my tutor ensured that he viewed the patients father at all times when speaking and also that he used body language to highlight the meaning of what he was expressing also. This again, helped the patient's daddy to understand this is of that which was being carried out and that which was being said. Visual aids were also used to ensure that the patient's father understood. For instance, when my teacher was asking if the patient had taken his antibiotics for his CF and what physiotherapy he thought his child required. When asking such questions, he pointed to a prescription on his table, which helped the daddy to understand that which was being said. This clearly made the difference between the patient not understanding that which was being thought to gaining an appropriate understanding and being able to answer the questions properly and appropriately.
Evaluation: From this experience I also learned that in the case of younger patients, especially babies, it's important to have the ability to speak to the parents, as the individual themselves would be unable to provide information. This is because whenever a child has a problem such as CF, it is regularly the parents who will be worried and concerned about this and additionally; it's the parents who package with the physiotherapy and the treatments, which the child receives. Also, it will be the parents of the kid who will manage the symptoms that their child has, and execute the physiotherapeutic interventions on the kid until they come old where this is continued by the kid. Regarding the patient who was simply not fluent in speaking British, I have known the value of speaking both loudly, and little by little and using all the several sorts of body language possible to be able to ensure that the patient's parents were put at ease and could actually understand the questions, that have been being asked.
Analysis: My experience has trained me that in order to boost my communication skills with patients of different languages, I am going to need to increase my discussion with a range of patients with different local languages and those who are not fluent in speaking English. This will likely be achieved through increased exposure to patients in my clinical location and I'll make an effort to ensure that I increase my exposure to individuals of a number of nationalities wherever possible within my placements. Interacting with this patient and his dad also highlighted the necessity to adjust not only the words used when requesting questions, but also the words tone and the type of my own body language used throughout the evaluation.
Conclusion: In conclusion, due to the presence of both the patient (the infant) and his dad, not only performed this patient face bring with it the task of the vocabulary barrier, but it also brought the knowledge of needing to assimilate multiple people into a conversation without loosing the movement of the talk. For instance, it was clear that there was a need to build a rapport with the patient themselves, despite their young age, in order to put them relaxed during their physical, physiological examination. This is very important to physiotherapists to determine a good patient rapport, especially with children, in order to make physical analysis easier. This was clear since when the patient first entered the room, he was looking around the room rather than smiling very frequently. After being in your company for a tiny amount of time, and when i had smiled at the patient and viewed him to activate him when talking with his father it was clear that he believed much more relaxed and comfortable as he started to smile and look at us when we were discussing. He was less thinking about his area and appeared to be much more at ease.
Action plan: The knowledge also demonstrated that I have to work on my communication skills and my coping strategies in various specialized medical situations. Thus, in the foreseeable future, I aim to increase my level of contact with patients of all ages by participating a number of physiotherapy clinics and speaking with patients. This will help in the development of such skills and make encounters such as this, much easier to manage effectively.
