COMMUNICATING IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Task 1

1.1 Theoretical Approaches to Communication in Health and Social Care

According to Qudah and Luetsch (2019), a communication is an effective two-way procedure that helps healthcare practitioners to develop strong relationship with the service users and have significant positive influence on the health outcomes in the health and social care setting. With regard to it, Lo (2022) demonstrated that healthcare practitioners may use a wide range of theoretical approaches in order to communicate effectively with the service users such as humanistic theory, social theory, cognitive theory, behavioural theory, and psychoanalytic theory. As stated by O'Hara (2023), among these theoretical approaches, the two most commonly utilised theories by healthcare practitioners while communicating with service users are humanistic theory and psychoanalytic theory. A humanistic theoretical approach concentrates on the particular nature and uniqueness of every individual. In other words, a study conducted by Werder (2019) evaluated that humanistic theoretical approach to communication in the health and social care setting stresses on self-actualisation and self-identity instead of beliefs and attitudes in order to foster effective communication between healthcare practitioners and service users.

On the contrary, Cornell and Bucci (2020) critiqued that psychoanalytic theoretical approach to communication focuses on understanding and analysing human thoughts in term of the coded communications of psychotic behaviour or symptoms. In this regard, Antoci (2019) stated that both humanistic and psychoanalytic theoretical approaches focus on the development of individual identity and place individual at the focus of their analysis. Nevertheless, Barth and Moody (2019) stated that psychoanalytic theory enable healthcare practitioner to focuses on psychotic symptoms of service users, while humanistic theoretical approach allow healthcare practitioner to concentrate on more on emotional expression of service users while communicating in the health and social care setting.

1.2 Main Types of Communication used in Health and Social Care Practice

According to a study conducted by Chan and Leung (2018), healthcare practitioners may use different types of communication approaches while communicating with service users in the health and social care setting. These types include verbal communication, non-verbal communication, formal communication, and written communication. Hirsch et al. (2018) described verbal communication as a use of language or spoken words in order to transmit information during communication process. Healthcare practitioner may use verbal communication in order to respond to the concerns and questions of service users surrounding their needs and problems. In contrast to the verbal communication, Ravi and Vethabothagam (2021) elaborated that non-verbal communication is also an effective way of communication that healthcare practitioner use to communicate with service users. This type of communication includes communication through body language, eye contact, facial expression, gesture, posture, etc. Through maintaining an appropriate eye contact, smiling face, and engaging posture, a healthcare practitioner can communicate effectively with service users.

As stated by Akhu‐Zaheya et al. (2018), another effective type of communication in the health and social care setting is written communication. Written communication may be used by healthcare practitioner to communicate with service users and other healthcare practitioners. For example, written communication is used to record personal details of the service users; write medical referrals and prescriptions; write emails, letters, and messages in order to inform regarding appointments; formulate care plans; etc. Besides, de Las Heras-Pedrosa et al. (2020) stated that formal communication us a type of professional communication in which healthcare practitioners uses neutral and official words while communicating with service users. For instance, a healthcare practitioner communicates with service users in the form of official letter which contain test results to discuss diagnosis with service users and their family.

Task 2

2.1 Communication Barriers in Health and Social Care

A research performed by Loganathan et al. (2019) highlights that there are several major barriers to communication which include language, cultural barriers, physical barriers, attitudinal barriers, financial barriers, and psychological barriers. Language barrier is the barrier that make healthcare practitioner unable to communicate with service users if both of them have different native languages. With regard to it, Al Shamsi et al. (2020) indicated that language barriers may contribute to reduce communication between healthcare practitioner and service users and reduce both healthcare practitioner and service users’ satisfaction.

In order to address this barrier, a patient advocate or interpreter can be hired in order to translate communication between healthcare practitioners and service users. Besides, Auschra 2018) demonstrated that cultural barrier is another major barrier that can affect communication within the health and social care setting In this regard, healthcare practitioner must be mindful of cultural differences to help service users to understand their treatment and diagnosis options. In the context of cultural barrier, healthcare practitioner can use non-verbal communication and written communication in order to communicate effectively with service users. On the contrary to this, Tristiana et al. (2018) evaluated that psychological barrier is also a major obstacle to communication in the health and social care setting which develops due to a difference between psychological state of healthcare practitioner and service users. In order to communicate with service users who have poor psychological state, a healthcare practitioner should demonstrate active listening and develop engaging environment for service users where they can feel confident and accepted in order to communicate openly regarding their feelings and thoughts.

2.2 Alternative means of Communication used in the Health and Social Care Users with Special Needs

As stated in a study conducted by Mason et al. (2019), service users with special needs do not communicate effectively with the healthcare practitioners due to having communication disabilities or special needs. For this purpose, healthcare practitioners can use different alternative communication approaches to communicate effectively with services users having special needs. For example, healthcare practitioner may us symbolic communication approach while communicating with service users having special needs in terms of intellectual disability, vision disability, etc. In order to communicate with special need service users, healthcare practitioner can use print or braille information, sign language, tactile symbols, pictures, and communication books or boards. These help healthcare practitioners to understand the ways to help service users with special needs in order to communicate effectively in the health and social care practice.

2.3 Importance of Confidentiality with reference to Seven Caldicott Principles

In the health and social care setting, Bani Issa et al. (2020) defined confidentiality as an important ethical principle to be maintained in order to ensure healthcare details and information of the service users are secured. With regard to it, IG (2020) documented that the Caldicott seven principles which are a set of practice guidelines have been introduced in order to ensure confidentiality of patients’ healthcare information and data. These principles include using confidential information and data if it is necessary, justifying the purpose of using confidential data, accessing to confidential data on the basis of need-to-know basis, utilising the minimum data that is needed, understanding and complying with the legislations, knowing that each should comprehend their accountabilities, and understanding to share personal data along with maintaining confidentiality of service users. All these principles helps healthcare practitioner to understanding and ensure that confidentiality has an integral role to develop trustful relationship with the service users.

With reference to Caldicott Principles, Keyser and Dainty (2018) demonstrated that confidentiality help to develop a balance between the sharing and use of healthcare data and the protection of personal information in the healthcare setting. The and Caldicott Principles might be supported in the healthcare systems in order to monitor the confidentiality of service users’ personal information and ensure that the confidential information will only be used if it is needed to provide effective care to the service users.

Task 3

3.1 Benefits and Challenges of ICT in Health and Social Care Practice

3.1.1 Benefit of ICT for Service Users in Health and Social Care

According to Lolich et al. (2019), ICT is used in the health and social care in order to support development and management of ICT infrastructure, including mobile communications and email systems. The implementation of ICT in the health and social care has improved and benefited service users with improved accessibility and control over their own health, wellbeing, and safety. A study conducted by Al-Shorbaji and Al-Shorbaji (2021) support this and emphasised that ICT help service users to communicate with healthcare providers remotely at anytime and anywhere across the world. Another attribute of ICT that benefited service users in the health and social care is providing easier way to read healthcare records and reduce the need to decipher writing (Patterson et al., 2019). Besides, Ahmad et al. (2021) stated that the securing of healthcare records digitally is also a major benefit that service users have acquired through the implementation of ICT in the health and social care setting. Nevertheless, Liaaen et al. (2023) emphasised that ICT could be challenging for service users in terms of inaccessibility to healthcare system due to technical fault or due to lack of accessibility skills and awareness.

3.1.2 Benefits of ICT for Health and Social Care Practitioners

Along with service users, the implementation of ICT in the health and social care has also benefited health and social care practitioners. With regard to it, Sheikh et al. (2021) highlights that ICT provides faster accessibility to health and social care practitioners while transferring service users’ healthcare records and case files to different departments. In addition to this, Haluza and Jungwirth (2018) demonstrated that ICT implementation contribute significant role in improving everyday work routine of health and social care practitioners and facilitating care planning and client assessment procedure. It asserts that the management of service users’ information through ICT benefited healthcare practitioners to transfer the records easily between teams, locations, and other healthcare practitioners.

It is further stated by Mamdiwar et al. (2021) that ICT contribute in making healthcare information less likely to be damaged, lost, or destroyed which can be possible in maintaining healthcare records on papers. In this way, health and social care practitioners ensure that information associated with service users’ health records are maintained and secured electronically which can never be damaged or lost. Nevertheless, Nordin et al. (2021) stated that ICT implementation can also be challenging for health and social care practitioner as it contain some risks and challenges. For example, system failure or software malfunction can cause errors in the maintenance of digital information and may result in inaccurate data feed. ICT also increases the risk of data theft and cyber-attacks and develops challenging situation for the health and social care practitioners.

3.2 Data Protection Act 2018 and its Application in Health and Social Care

According to legislative data, the Data Protection Act 2018 is regarded as an UK Act of Parliament which complements the laws of data protection within the UK (Legislation.Gov. UK, 2023). It is documented in the Data Protection Act 2018 that an individual has the right to find out and know what information and data the organisations and government has stored about them. A study conducted by Wachter and Mittelstadt (2019) further demonstrated that Data Protection Act 2018 gives right to the service users to access their own personal information by means of subject access requests as well as entails rules and regulations that should be followed during processing personal information and data.

In the health and social care practice, Purtova (2018) stated that the implementation of Data Protection Act 2018 ensures that data and information about service users are secured in a way that no external parties or organisation can access to that information. Its implementation also ensures to maintain accuracy, accountability, confidentiality and integrity, and storage limitation while sharing, storing, and securing service users’ information and data.

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Important Notes:

This paper discusses the theoretical approaches to communication, main types of communication used in health and social care practice, communication barriers in health and social care, alternative means of communication used in the health and social care users with special needs, importance of confidentiality concerning Seven Caldicott principles and benefits and challenges of ICT in health and social care practice.

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