person-centred care in my patient/service user narrative

I adopted an effective approach to person-centred care in my patient/service user narrative. I talked through options with Jenner and sought her input, allowed flexibility to accommodate her wants and needs, and agreed to help meet these needs in the hospital on a daily basis. As a result, Jenner’s time in care will feel much less strenuous – she will be feel cared for, both physically and emotionally. Jenner and I discussed options for fulfilling wants and needs, such as bathing and passing the time. She chatted with me about what made a good day and a bad day in the hospital and I used this to explain to her what was important to her and what good support for her would look like. Jenner said that she enjoyed watching TV and spending time with her sister, who visits every morning. I also learnt from the father that Jenner needed to share information in a clear, concise way. The information gathered was shared with other nurses on the ward, as well as doctors. During my patient/service user narrative, different interpersonal and communication skills were required to ensure a person-centred care such as excellent listening, concise verbal communication, and fostering positivity. I had to listen carefully to her demands and I communicated with her in a calm and polite manner in order to accommodate her wants and needs in the care plan. According to Coulter, and Oldham (2016), “working with patients in a more person-centred manner places new demands on the health professional, as it requires excellent listening, communication and negotiation skills and the capacity to respond flexibly to people’s individual needs. ” Perhaps the most important skill a nurse can possess is the ability to listen actively. This is particularly critical because most persons do not have training in medical terminology and symptom diagnosis. According to Strojan et al. , (2016), “in order to provide exemplary patient-centred care, one needs well developed communication skills, especially in the realm of active listening and responding to patient cues. ” As a result, nurses must listen carefully to decipher the symptomatic clues that people communicate, and verbally paraphrase those responses to ensure accuracy. Also, listening to patient’s needs will allow the nurse to tailor the care plan to meet the patient’s needs and wants. Another important skill needed was concise verbal communication. Nurses assume the responsibility of relaying accurate information between physicians, patients, and the families of patients to ensure effective treatment decisions. Studies show that good communication between nurses and patients have many benefits. According to Kourkouta, and Papathanasiou, (2014), “good communication between nurses and patients greatly contributes to the ability to provide patients with individualized care. ” They further went further to state that “nurses who take the time to understand the unique challenges and concerns of their patients will be better prepared to advocate on their behalf and properly address issues as they arise. ” This greater focus on communication frequently leads to better patient outcomes as well. A study by Nkrumah and Abekah-Nkrumah (2019) showed that nurse-patient misunderstanding can affect patient-provider relationship particularly nurse-patient relationship. Also, Vertino, (2014) was of the opinion that “interpersonal communication can satisfy the innate needs of the patient as outlined in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. ” Those needs include the feelings of safety, love and confidence, all of which are important during a patient’s treatment and recovery. Another benefit is that patients who feel like they are receiving all of the nurse’s attention during an interaction are more likely to disclose the true extent of their feelings and symptoms much quicker. Patients may also feel more satisfaction with their care if the nurse provides them with undivided attention. Fostering positivity was another important skill that was required. In the caregiving setting, effective nurses support intelligent questioning to promote an environment that values teamwork, rapport, and trust. Fostering positivity in a healthcare environment benefits everyone; patients can feel more comfortable as they adjust to their medical situations, and nurses can feel confident as they work in a productive and uplifting environment. However, during my patient/service user narrative, I experienced some challenges which affected my ability to involve my patient in decisions related to care. A major challenge I faced while trying to get my one-page patient profile was the unwillingness of the patient and family to ask questions or seek clarifications. This was also compounded with increased workloads at the time due to the limited number of nurses to cope with these increases. Firstly, the patient and her family were somewhat unwilling to ask questions or seek clarifications as well as to report unfair treatment. Evidence shows that people are more satisfied with the care or services they receive when they feel that the service provider understands their needs, carefully listens and communicates clear and concise information to them (Stojan et al. , 2016). Due to high turnover of nurses at the hospital, there are limited number of nurses to deal with the increasing number of patients. When you're in a situation like that, it’s difficult to give all the information the patient needs. So, the challenge is when the patients increase what should we do?