Effective Communication and ICT in Health and Social Care Assignment

Introduction

The necessity of proper communication channels is rather evident in nursing and residential care homes to guarantee the accomplishment of efficient processes and the delivery of high-quality services by several healthcare workers. This assignment focuses on the communication techniques that are used in health and social care organisations, and the advantages as well as the disadvantages of using verbal and written communication. It also looks at the elements of successful communication and how to overcome some barriers to the same. Also, in the context of the assignment, one is focused on explaining the role of ICT in healthcare and the advantages and disadvantages it poses. Lastly, it presents data protection concerns and recommended steps in the protection of patient information, particularly concerning the GDPR.

Task 1: Understand the role of communication in effective Health and Social care practice

Describe the methods used to communicate in Health and Social care

Several reasons indicate the importance of communication in health and social care organizations when delivering care services to frail and elderly individuals. Nevertheless, different modes of communication are applied depending on the patient’s condition and the nature of the provided care. Verbal communication refers to communication that is face-to-face or one that is done over the phone call or even through video consultation. Most importantly, to facilitate communication of essential and emergent information among nurses, caregivers, and patients, it is vital to decrease the use of ambiguity (Kapur, no date). Nonverbal communication is the interaction of using physical movements, facial expressions, gaze, and signs. For instance, in the case of a residential care home, it may be perfectly acceptable for a nurse who is dealing with an elderly patient with dementia to use touch and positive facial gestures to soothe the patient (Sheehan et al., 2021). Thus, written communication is critical for record keeping, care plan documentation, and shift handover. In a nursing home, it is common to find that staff members use written reports as the method of shift turnover. The use of graphics, pictures, and videos assists in explaining medical procedures, especially to patients who may have shown resistance to following oral instructions (Vermeir et al., 2015).

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of both formal and informal communication methods

It could be verbal or written and is highly regulated by policies and procedures related to the health and social care setting. It covers medical records, patient treatment, and conference proceedings, among others, and embraces accuracy and documentation. First, formal refers to documented communication which allows for proving the level of patient care in case of any complications. However, it can be rigid and slow, which makes the immediate reply concerning the issue inadmissible (Saleem and Perveen, 2017). For instance, drawing a formal incident report of an incident in a residential home enhances accountability for the event but at the same time may lead to the postponement of prompt action being taken. Relational communication that is casual, including the interactions heard between caregivers and the elderly, is friendly and fosters trust (Wu et al., 2021). It means that caregivers can resolve the residents’ issues on emotional aspects without having to wait for ages as would be if they were to deal with clinical issues. There is no documentation when it comes to informal communication; hence, there is usually miscommunication.

Explain the principles of effective communication

Certain cardinal principles are an essential foundation of any health and social care communication. Like any form of communication, clarity is very significant to avoid misunderstanding or confusion on the part of the receiver. This means that if a nurse is to explain to a resident the dos and don’ts of medication, he or she should first simplify the language to the resident’s level of understanding. In active listening, the listener, first of all, focuses intently on the speaker, tries to understand their feelings, and makes suitable gestures. Caregivers, who pay attention to what residents are saying, can be trusted. Tenderness also known as empathy assists the staff in comprehending the target residents’ feelings and hence offers them compassionate care (Hällström, Bosch-Sijtsema and Poblete, 2024). The inclusion and dignity of the patient are very important and there’s nothing more important than respect in the patients list. Confidentiality concerns because sensitive information should only be disclosed to personnel with the proper clearance. The tone and the presentation of the body are also important. The nature of the words used or tone of voice has a soothing effect on the patient thus declining anxiety (Stöckl and Struck, 2022).

Explain potential barriers and how they can be overcome

In nursing and residential care, communication gaps and obstacles may pose risks to clients and the efficiency of their care services. Communicational gap is evident where the residents living in the care homes speak different languages than English which is often difficult to communicate through the language. Lack of communication may lead to wrong medication. For instance, a male resident of the facility could only speak Punjabi but was hard at communicating how much pain he was in. Auditing also showed evidence of using a bilingual staff member and a visual pain scale, which is an index for communication. It was perceived that care homes should offer interpreter services, use picture support, and keep the language as simple as possible. Other obstacles in communication include deafness because many of the residents of the elderly are Deaf (Ayeni et al., 2018). There is one patient who repeatedly fails to abide by the doctor’s instructions that have been said during the rounds concerning the use of certain medicines due to loss of hearing. To resolve the issue, the use of clear communication, making eye contact, and use of written notes was vital. Some ways to help to increase understanding include, the use of hearing aids, gestural cues, and the use of low tones or silence. Communication difficulties especially result from cognitive diseases that limit the president’s ability to comprehend discussions or make their requirements understood (Johnson et al., 2024). A resident whom I was attending became combative when questioned about his daily schedule. Avoiding confusing information by using short and simple sentences, repeating the important concepts, and looking directly into the audience’s eyes also contributed to less confusion. It is also important to speak softly, use graphics, and bring back traditions within expectation as a way of communicating. Other environmental factors also hinder the process such as noise, which comes from other people around the workers, or inadequate lighting (Sánchez-Polo et al., 2019).

Task 2: Be able to communicate information in a variety of formats

Discuss the different methods of oral and written communication found commonly in Health and Social care

Communication with patients in nursing and residential homes is done through written and verbal means to reduce instances of poor-quality care being offered. Verbal communication like direct conduct with the residents makes a way for instant contact between the staff and the individuals. It is useful in urgent circumstances, for instance, when a nurse uses the application to briefly alert his or her counterpart on the worsening health of a resident. Nonetheless, it can prove disadvantageous, especially in conveying information where there may be a misstatement or a misunderstanding in the understanding received by a particular person (Prabavathi and Nagasubramani, 2018). The telephone is effective when talking to the resident’s family or when seeking advice from the physicians. However, it does not have an aesthetic appeal to viewing, and this may cause misunderstanding. That is why video calls are beneficial in the residents’ situation as they enable the healthcare professionals to examine the latter without a need for direct contact. Documentation is important to have documentation and to provide for the continuity of treatment (Jefferies, Johnson and Nicholls, 2012). Each of the residents has health records that include his medical history, diagnosis, treatments, and medications. These documents provide accuracy but have to be updated constantly for them to be efficient. The emails help in speedy communication between the staff and non-staff health care facility. It has reduced cases of miscommunication since it provides lots of written information about the discussions (Van Manen et al., 2020). Though, such a practice can be overcome; delays in checking emails can affect the response rates. Handovers and incident reports contain significant details that facilitate changeover and officers’ accountability. Although these written forms help to disseminate information clearly, they may pose a problem in that the staff who are targeted are sometimes illiterate and may not go through them diligently (Van Manen et al., 2020).

Produce an oral presentation and deliver to an audience at appropriate level

Good [morning/afternoon], everyone. In today’s lesson, I will focus on two issues that are of concern to residents within nursing and residential care homes emotions and their significance and obesity and its correlation with diabetes.

This article is a perfect start to show how emotional health is such an integral component of a resident’s status. It is noteworthy that a great number of elderly people stay in care homes and feel lonely, anxious, or depressed because of isolation, independence loss, or chronic sickness. Lack of good health also affects clinical somatic symptoms which leads to poor appetite, interference with sleep, and a decrease in intellectual functioning (Mangoulia et al., 2024). One of the ways through which care staff should ensure they meet the need for social relations is through social interaction with the residents, counselling services, and encouraging friendly interaction with the residents. This means when one is encouraged to pay a visit or have interaction with their families, their state of emotional health boosts up and helps improve their health status (Russell-Mayhew et al., 2012).

Secondly, there is a significantly high correlation of obesity and diabetes as a major challenge in today’s society. One of the modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes includes obesity and the research assumption is that; elderly residents are at a higher risk of experiencing type 2 diabetes. Obesity contributes to the hormone known as insulin not being able to work as it should, thus increasing blood glucose levels. Diabetic patients in care homes face complications like foot sores, kidney diseases, and cardiovascular issues if their diabetes is not well managed (Tiwari and Balasundaram, 2021). Other daily care needs of the residents would entail encouraging intake of a balanced diet, exercising, and proper monitoring of blood sugar levels by the nurses and caregivers. Modifying behaviour in terms of portion size and exercising are some of the beneficial aspects that help to avoid complications connected with obesity and improve the quality of life of the residents (Washington et al., 2023).

Produce a written communication that is appropriate for your organisational role

Resident’s Name: [Insert Name]

Date of Birth: [Insert DOB]

Diagnosis: Pneumonia

Date of Care Plan: [Insert Date]

Purpose:

This care plan presents the necessary nursing actions that need to be taken in regards to a resident in a nursing and residential care home presenting with pneumonia. Some of the objectives are as follows: To improve the quality of life, obtain basic comfort as well as to minimize symptoms, the occurrence of complications and pain during the healing process.

Assessment and Symptoms:

The participant mentions had fever, productive cough, dyspnoea, pleurisy chest pain, weakness, and loss of appetite. For vital signs, the patient has a high temperature and increased respiratory rate. Oxygen concentration may be substantially low as such the level needs to be constantly checked (Zorlu and Korkmaz, 2021).

Interventions:

The resident will be administered with antibiotics depending on the prescription made by the GP, this is done to ensure that the right antibiotic is given to the patient at the appropriate time The impact of the actions may involve monitoring of the side effects of the drugs to be used. Supplemental oxygen may be administered if the oxygen levels are reduced as per the corresponding recommended level. Hydration support should always be given and the patient is encouraged to take more fluids to avoid dehydration (Musheke and Phiri, 2021). There will be proper arrangements for meals to ensure a patient gets enough nutrients; this will include soft and high protein meals. Counselling through breathing exercises and physiotherapy shall also be adopted in order to facilitate a proper lung capacity. Temperature and respiratory rate checking will be done in order to monitor the progress of the patient’s recovery. To reduce the spread of infection, the patient will be required to observe proper hand washing if not given isolation (Verhoeven and Madsen, 2022).

Evaluation:

Staff nurses will monitor the condition of the resident daily to confirm that the above symptoms have responded to the treatment. If no improvement is observed, then the GP will be consulted and information about the child with the GP will be updated. He also assured that the current care plan would be modified whenever in order to encourage the elements of recovery and comfort for the resident (Verhoeven and Madsen, 2022).

Task 3: Understand the importance of ICT in communication in Health and Social care.

3.1 Assess the benefits and potential hazards of using ICT to communicate information in health and social care practice for organisations

ICT as a tool has enhanced communication in the nursing and residential care homes in the NHS. It increases effectiveness increases the quality of care that patients receive and helps with data organization and documentation but like all digital technologies, it poses threats such as cybercrime and system breakdowns. Another area that has gained significantly from ICT is the aspect of efficiency. A way of sharing a patient’s data electronically across the healthcare team and reducing paperwork is by adopting EHRs. Another fact related to ICT is that it improves the quality of the data collected and used in delivering medication and treatment. With the help of teleconsultations, elderly people in care homes do not need to travel to the hospital as their condition can be examined from afar. Furthermore, the future developed training applications make continuous professional development possible for the staff, thus focusing on the quality of care (Pal and Pal, 2023).

Despite these advantages, ICT poses potential hazards. Challenges in cybersecurity threats are one of the concerns since patients’ data on digital records most likely be hacked. According to the GDPR legislation and the Data Protection Act of the year 2018, there are strict measures required to ensure the safety of health information. The other threat is system failure; for example, the records or communication appliances related to the patient’s care may fail, thereby slowing down care. Additionally, excessive use of technology will eliminate face-to-face interactions and hence might dilute patient-focused care. Lack of adequate training in the use of ICT systems can also result in mistakes hence the need for care homes to undertake a digitization project (Qualifi, no date).

3.2 Discuss the benefits and potential hazards of using ICT to communicate information for service users

Technology in healthcare, especially nursing and residential policies, has enhanced the quality of services to the service users. However, it is identified that some of the residents have challenges occasioned by what can be termed digital divides, underpinning both the opportunities and risks of ICT in communication.

Perhaps the most important advantage of using ICT in the provision of health care is the ability to increase the availability of care. Telemedicine enables the residents to seek medical advice from their doctors and other healthcare givers without having to visit the hospitals frequently to receive attention, care, and timely treatment whenever they fall ill. One of them is faster communication as through online portals and mobile apps, the service users can receive information such as their test results and reminders for their medications much faster. It is emphasized that one of the advantages of using video calls, especially among elderly people is that they can stay connected with their families which has a positive impact on their state of mind. Social media also strengthens patient engagement since the service users can monitor their health status and receive educational information (Burney, Mahmood and Abbas, 2010).

Nevertheless, it is crucial to understand that different service users experience different levels of difficulty. They engage in negative experiences when trying to use electronic devices which makes the elderly with restricted digital skills abandon engaging in digital healthcare endeavours (Burney, Mahmood and Abbas, 2010). Technophobia also makes different devices confusing to patients with dementia thus making them heavily dependent on their caregivers too! Interact with them. Privacy is also a problem because patients are concerned their medical data can be revealed to third parties. Also, technical complications related to the systems applied may harm the patients due to postponement of important care.

3.3 Explain the issues around Data protection and how it is implemented in Health and Social care

Data protection within health and social care refers to the responsible handling and safeguarding of patient’s information. In order to meet the guidelines, set by the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 there is a requirement for healthcare organisations to safeguard the details of service users such as their medical history, identifiers, and the treatment records.

Cyber threats and risks pose a lot of problems; for instance, data breaches including the stealing of patient’s identity or even utilization of fake identity information of a patient. All these continue to pose a threat to confidential data by hacking or phishing attacks. Inadequate training of staff increases the risk of data leaks and on the other hand, system failures negatively affect the users’ ability to access desired information relating to certain patients. Protecting the records from cyber threats can be done by encrypting the digital records and securing physical records such as paperwork in storage systems. One of the most critical areas that need to be addressed for any organization is staff training that is helpful to teach the employees on matters to do with confidentiality. Besides, audit trails address data access and alteration hence making users and administrators accountable (United Kingdom, 2018).

Conclusion

This paper elaborates on the process of communication taking place in nursing and residential care homes, both in verbal and written ways, and their efficiency. It discusses the milestones to good communication and the challenges that include language, hearing, and physical challenges, and gives ways of circumventing these challenges. ICT’s role in health care is ascertained, through the identification of advantages derived from the application of ICT in the management of resources and health information and disadvantages that are associated with it such as cyber-crime prevention/access to patients’ data and system crashes. In the last topic, the need to protect data is under discussion, as well as GDPR, staff familiarization with it, and safe data management to safeguard patients’ information.

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