Medical assistants and practical nurses are often the last people patients see on their way out of the hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility. It’s their job to deliver medication instructions and other information about the patient’s at-home care requirements. As such, effective patient communication is essential. With Prism Career Institute, learn how you can help patients understand their treatment regimen to ensure the best treatment outcomes.
Translate Medical Jargon
As an aspiring medical assistant or practical nurse, you’ll spend time absorbing a dictionary’s worth of medical terminology. This jargon is essential for communicating with your coworkers and professionals at other healthcare facilities. Patients, however, may find it confusing or overwhelming. Most patients won’t share your medical background and will be unfamiliar with the terminology.
Part of effective patient communication includes putting complex medical language into layman’s terms. Rather than telling patients that they are febrile, for example, say instead that they are running a fever. If you must use a medical term, be sure to define it for the patient. Plain language will help them understand health instructions and follow them more accurately. It’ll also make them feel more at ease, improving their confidence in your facility’s care.
Keep It Simple
Going hand in hand with eliminating jargon, simplifying medical information overall leads to better treatment outcomes. As an example, lack of understanding is among the top reasons why patients are reluctant to take prescribed medicine. They may assume it’s not important, worry that side effects may outweigh the benefits, or miss their medication instructions. Failure to take medicine will interfere with the patient’s recovery, so it’s important to avoid misunderstanding whenever possible.
The role of a practical nurse or medical assistant is to ensure that patients adhere to their care plans. The best path toward this outcome is simplicity. Give patients enough information to understand their instructions, but not too much. Avoid overcomplicating. It’s also a good idea to encourage questions; these will highlight points of misunderstanding and guide you toward the information patients need.
Stay Organized
Clear communication also needs to be organized. Medical information is complex. Treatment plans involve multiple pieces of instruction that come with detailed explanations and are often interrelated. If you constantly bounce between subjects, patients can struggle to keep up. Important information may be lost or misunderstood – a problem to avoid at all costs when communicating about care requirements.
When discussing medications and treatment instructions, present information in the most organized fashion possible. Break it down into bite-sized chunks, addressing only one piece of instruction at a time. Make sure patients understand each one before moving on to the next.
Be Patient
Overall, be patient. Though this may vary between settings, many patients don’t have a happy reason to visit a healthcare setting. Even straightforward care instructions can be intimidating to people who already feel anxious or stressed. In addition, some patients – especially older patients – may be faced with physical or cognitive difficulties which may make them slower to grasp information.
Whether a patient is scared, upset, or simply slow to understand, it’s important to stay patient. Be gentle with communication, and don’t rush through it. Periodically take breaks to check in and allow space for questions. If clarification is needed, provide it – even if it takes multiple attempts to convey. Try to remain calm as you do. Though communication may be frustrating at times, losing your temper will only compound a patient’s stress.
Honesty Is the Best Policy
Though gentle treatment is essential, you should never sacrifice honest communication. You may occasionally wish to downplay a medicine’s potential side effects to encourage the patient to take it. On the flip side, it can be tempting to exaggerate outcomes to emphasize a treatment’s importance. As much as you may want to, however, neither of these strategies will ultimately be helpful.
Honest, forthright communication is a vital part of respecting your patients. Avoid coming off detached or cold, but do be transparent about treatment instructions, medication side effects, expected outcomes, and more. This is the patient’s well-being, and they deserve your honesty regarding their health situation and what can be done about it. This tactic will also build trust in your facility while fostering a clear and complete understanding, equipping patients to follow care advice and pursue the most positive outcomes.
Practice Patient Communication
With effective patient communication, medical assistants and nurses can play an important role in successful treatment. If you’re passionate about helping others, consider embarking on a new career today. Prism Career Institute delivers career-focused medical assistant and practical nursing training at three campuses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Hill and West Atlantic City, New Jersey. To learn more about admissions or financial aid opportunities for those who qualify, contact us today.