Many years ago, I had a conversation with a patient who angrily said to me, “If you don’t know what you are doing, maybe you should just step down and let someone who knows the job take over.” This statement was made following the administration of a flu vaccination after which the patient experienced a very sore spot at the site of injection. Of course, this patient probably did not know that there is an up to 64 per cent chance of experiencing soreness at an injection site for adults and children following the intramuscular administration of a flu vaccine.
Having heard such comments from this patient, the natural response would have been for me to feel insulted and get angry which might lead me to start exchanging words with the patient which is not healthy for both of us.
As a clinician in such a situation, what would you do? How do you respond to such a patient attitude?
Well, you guess it all boils down to communication!
Communication in and of itself goes beyond sending and receiving messages. It involves the psychology of both sender and receiver, their verbal and non-verbal cues-those signals we tend to overlook in our communication with people. In our attempt to communicate, there are vital processes that should be considered to achieve our intended goal when communicating with people.
Aside from any other barrier to effective communication, the receiver/interlocutors’ psychological state is important in any communication. Because this could make or mar the essence of the communication.
In the healthcare system, the patient’s psychological state will influence how the message is received and/or perceived.
If someone is stressed they may be concerned by individual worries and not be as receptive to the message as they would be in a different or healthy state.
Some of these concerns may be a lurking depression, shyness, anger -towards their health and/or current state, low-self-esteem/ inferiority, etc.
It is the duty of the sender in this case the clinician to consider her patient’s current state before relating any information regarding health to such an individual.
The way the message is received will be evident in the way the patient responds and provides answers to the clinician’s reports and questions.
When I encountered this scenario with this patient, I immediately took a different approach and reflected on the fact that the patient was not aware of the statistics regarding flu vaccination and injection sites. Rather than feel insulted or upset, I felt an obligation to inform this patient that it was not uncommon to experience soreness at injection sites.
I also disclosed the different measures that could be taken to reduce the chances of such occurrence in the future.
This patient was very appreciative of the information I offered and seemed surprised that I was not offended! For the rest of the consultation, I noticed that the patient made an effort to be courteous and kind while communicating with me.
Stress management is an essential personal skill that affects our communication process, and responsibility rests on the clinicians to ensure that the patient receives the intended message.
In my book “Tips for Effective Communication: A Vital Tool for Trust Development in Healthcare”, I explored various strategies you can adopt to become more effective in your communication.
