RTEC-A WK – Patient Skills & Communication

COMMUNICATION

Patient Communication Interacting with the patient Interacting with family and friends Methods of Effective Communication Age as a factor in Patient Interactions

Radiologic Technologist Helping others Working with people Making a difference Thinking critically Demonstrating creativity Achieving results

Abraham Maslow’s

Why is this important? PATIENT NEEDS Altered states of consciousness Altered states of consciousness Environment Environment Fear of unknown Fear of unknown Vulnerable Vulnerable Coping Mechanisms Coping Mechanisms

Patient Dignity Patients are usually in the lower levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy Patients are usually in the lower levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy Must always be remembered and respected Must always be remembered and respected Difficult to maintain dignity when ill Difficult to maintain dignity when ill

No No’s….. Referring to a patient as: Referring to a patient as: “the chest in room 2” “the chest in room 2” Always use the patients name! HIPAA Laws - Only discuss what you must know to do your job. HIPAA Laws - Only discuss what you must know to do your job.

Classification of Patients InpatientsOutpatients –Family –Friends

Methods of Communication VerbalHumorParalanguage Body Language Touch –Palpation Professional Appearance Physical Presence Visual Contact

Six Components of Communication MessageSourceChannelReceiverContextFeedback

Radiographer’s Responsibility Introduction Explanation of exam Inform patient how they will receive their results Risks of examination

Rad Tech’s Role in Clinical Hx Extract as much history as possible Radiologists often do not even speak with the patient. Radiologist can be focus on anatomy of interest

Desirable Qualities for Establishing Open Dialogue Respect Genuineness Empathy Polite Professional demeanor

Data Collection Objective: Signs that can be seen Subjective: Perceived by the affected individual

Questioning Skills Open-ended questions Facilitation – encourages pt to elaborate Silence – give pt time to remember Probing questions – focus interview, provide more information Repetition – rewording, clarifies info Summarization – verifies accuracy

Leading Questions This is an UNDESIRABLE method of questioning. Introduces bias to history

Chief Complaint Focuses attention to the single most important issue. Patients often have many complaints Focus on primary reason for exam

Clinical Indication Tech must collect a focused history. Several elements comprise a “complete history”. Sacred Seven

1. Localization 2. Chronology 3. Quality 4. Severity 5. Onset 6. Aggravating or Alleviating Factors 7. Associated Manifestations

You never know what you are going to get?

Special Condition Patients Traumatized Patients Visually Impaired Patients Speech and Hearing Impaired Patients Non-English Speaking Patients Mentally Impaired Patients Substance Abusers

Gerontology The study of aging and diseases of the elderly. By the end of the 20 th century 33 million, more than 12% of total population. In 1900 only 4%, of population

Key to a Successful Exam Plan of action Plan of action Systematic problem-solving process Systematic problem-solving process Assessment of data Assessment of data Setting a goal Setting a goal Establishing a plan Establishing a plan Safety in completing assignment Safety in completing assignment Evaluating the work Evaluating the work

Communication The key to a successful exam for Technologist and Patient.