Compassion, Caring and Communication

47 Pages·2010·0.308 MB·English

by  Barbara Smith

(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:7)(cid:15)(cid:16)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:18)(cid:7)(cid:19)(cid:13)(cid:20)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:7)(cid:23)(cid:14)(cid:9)(cid:24)(cid:20)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:7)(cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:26)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:7)
(cid:7)
Published 2013 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

Copyright © 2011(cid:27) Taylor & Francis(cid:28)

The right of Barbara Smith to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our
understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any
information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be
mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any
injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or
operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

ISBN 13: 978-0-273-72867-2 ((cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:29))

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

Typeset in 8/9.5pt Helvetica by 35
CONDUCT AND CARE PROVISION 3
COMPASSION 4
Using a strengths-based approach 8
Person-centred care 9
Holistic care 11
CARING 12
Care planning 14
Care pathways 15
The Caring Model 15
Critical junctures 16
Dignity and privacy 18
Dignity in care 18
Putting ourselves in the patient’s shoes 19
Culturally sensitive healthcare 20
Discrimination 21
Supporting cultural needs 21
Supporting religious needs 22
Background information about some of the
s world’s religions 23
Spirituality 29
t Reflective practice 31
Clinical supervision 31
n Dealing with complaints 32
Incident reporting and analysis 32
e Governance 32
Clinical practice benchmarking 33
Keeping a reflective diary 36
t
COMMUNICATION 38
n Good practice for communicating effectively 40
Active listening 40
o Times of silence 40
Tips for verbal handovers 41
Written documentation 41
c Common communication problems 42
Assessing communication 43
While every effort has been made to ensure that the content
of this guide is accurate,no responsibility will be taken
for inaccuracies,omissions or errors. This is a guide only.
The information is provided solely on the basis that readers
will be responsible for making their own assessment and
adhering to organisation policy of the matters discussed
herein. The author does not accept liability to any person for
the information obtained from this publication or for loss or
damages incurred as a result of reliance upon the material
contained in this guide.
CONDUCT AND CARE PROVISION 3
CONDUCT AND CARE PROVISION
• Work with colleagues to monitor the quality of your work
and maintain the safety of those in your care
• Consult and take advice from colleagues when appropriate
• Act without delay if you believe that you,a colleague or
anyone else may be putting someone at risk
• Be open and honest,act with integrity and uphold the
reputation of the profession
• Treat people kindly and considerately
• Listen to the people in your care and respond to their
concerns and preferences
• Share with people,in a way they can understand,
the information they want or need to know about their
health
• Make arrangements to meet people’s language and
communication needs
• Treat people as individuals and respect their dignity
• Respect and support people’s rights to accept or decline
treatment
• Ensure that you gain consent before you begin any
treatment or care
• Recognise and respect the contribution that people make
to their own care and well-being
• Act as an advocate for those in your care,helping them to
access relevant health and social care,information and
support
• Ensure people are informed about how and why
information is shared by those who will be providing care
• Keep your colleagues informed when you are sharing the
care of others
4 COMPASSION
• Demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to
equality and diversity
• Do not discriminate in any way against those in your care
• Inform those in authority if you experience problems with
care provision1
• Make sure that everyone you are responsible for is
supervised and supported
• Give constructive and honest responses to anyone who
complains about the care they receive
• Do not allow someone’s complaint to prejudice the care
you provide for them
COMPASSION
Student nurses need to be able to show that they can provide
care that is delivered in a warm,sensitive and compassionate
way2by:
• Anticipating how the person might feel
• Being attentive and showing sensitivity
• Responding with kindness and empathy to provide
physical and emotional comfort
• Getting to know and value patients as individuals3
• To be compassionate is to understand and to be able to
provide the appropriate support
1e.g.you can contact the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
2Nursing and Midwifery Council (2007) Essential Skills Clusters,Nursing and
Midwifery Council,London.
3Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) Guidance for the Care of Older People,
Nursing and Midwifery Council,London.
COMPASSION 5
• Anticipating how the person may feel in a given situation
and responding with kindness and empathy
• Providing physical and emotional comfort
• Being sensitive to the person’s needs,choices and
capability and incorporating this into their plan of care4
• Compassion is closely linked with caring and
communication
• In order to be compassionate you need to care and to be
able to communicate effectively.
If you do not know a person’s past,then you cannot
understand their present.5
The Oxford English Dictionary(1990) defines compassion as
being sympathetic,being merciful and to incline one to help.
But to be compassionate you need to be able to anticipate
and understand a person’s needs; if we are unable to do
this we can disable the person.Sometimes we are unaware
that we are doing this.
In 1997 Dr Tom Kitwood published the results of a study
he had made of some care establishments.In this study he
identified 17 elements of harmful attitudes and actions made
by people towards others,and called this ‘malignant social
psychology’.His study showed people labelling others,
treating them like children and deliberately ignoring or
intimidating them rather than accepting and respecting
4NMC (2007).
5Kerr,D.and Wilkinson,H.(2005) In the Know:Implementing good practice,
Information and tools for anyone supporting people with a learning disability and
dementia,Pavilion,Brighton.
6 COMPASSION
people regardless of their condition or behaviour:in other
words,treating people with unconditional positive regard.6
Unconditional positive regard is accepting people
regardless of their condition and/or their behaviour.
Table 1 The seventeen elements of malignant social
psychology
Treachery Using forms of deception and lies to
distract or manipulate and therefore
force a person to comply
Disempowerment Not allowing the person to use their
abilities,or failing to help that person
to complete an action once it has been
started
Infantilisation Patronising a person,as in how an
insensitive parent may treat a young
child
Labelling Describing a person through the use
of negative words,e.g.a wanderer
Stigmatisation Treating the person as an object or
outcast
Outpacing Providing information or presenting
choices too quickly,so the person
cannot understand,and putting them
under pressure to do things more
rapidly than they are able
6Kitwood,T.(1997) Dementia Reconsidered:The person comes first,Open
University Press,Buckingham.
COMPASSION 7
Invalidation Not acknowledging the person’s
feelings or experience
Objectification Treating the person as a dead weight
rather than as a person (e.g.when
moving and handling them)
Banishment Sending the person away or excluding
them physically or psychologically
Ignoring Carrying on a conversation or action in
the person’s presence as if they are
not there
Intimidation Using power threats that cause anxiety
and fear
Imposition Forcing the person to do something
by overriding their desire or denying
their choice
Withholding Refusing to give attention or to meet
the person’s evident needs,treating
them as being invisible
Accusation Blaming a person for actions that have
arisen from the person’s lack of
understanding or ability
Disruption Intruding or disturbing a person’s
actions or thoughts
Mockery Making fun,teasing,humiliating
Disparagement Telling the person they are worthless,
damaging their self-esteem7
7Adapted from Kitwood,Tom (1997) and Brooks,Lee (2006) Dementia
Awareness,Tribal Education Ltd,York.
8 COMPASSION
■USING A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH
This is about focusing on the person’s abilities and
strengths,so that independence is encouraged.
Self-care becomes more of an achievable goal.It is
about finding out what the person is able to do and
what they are good at doing and then focusing their care
or treatment on these strengths.It helps the person
feel good about themselves,giving them a sense of
well-being.The strengths-based approach helps the
person to identify and use their strengths to achieve
their goals and aspirations.8
Hints: what you can do
Help the person in a constructive way by:
• Identifying the person’s strengths and promoting their
participation
• Tailoring any support to the person’s requirements and
abilities
• Finding out what the person’s personal preferences are
• Understanding and valuing the person’s personal
preferences
• Breaking tasks into small achievable chunks
• Explaining to the person in a way that they can understand
what you are trying to achieve
• Agreeing goals with the person
• Listening
8Adapted from Brooks,Lee (see Footnote 7 above) and Nursing and Midwifery
Council (2007),Essential Skills Clusters,Nursing and Midwifery Council,London.