Which action is most likely to increase the effectiveness of communication when a patient is having difficulty understanding the health care workers instructions?

Working with patients who are cognitively impaired presents an ongoing communication challenge. For instance, they likely will have trouble following any instructions about their care, including how and when to take prescriptions. Make sure someone can closely monitor care management, and try to involve a care partner whenever possible.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

• Communicating Effectively with Patients
• Patient Communications
• Which action is most likely to increase the effectiveness of communication when a patient is having difficulty understanding the health care worker's instructions?
• How can effective communication be improved in healthcare?
• What is the most important reason to improve the communication skills of health care professionals?
• What are some ideas for improving communication between health providers and patients?

Here are 15 tips for effectively working with and communicating with cognitively impaired patients.

1. Try to address the patient directly, even if his or her cognitive capacity is diminished.
2. Gain the person's attention. Sit in front of and at the same level as him or her and maintain eye contact.
3. Speak distinctly and at a natural rate of speed. Resist the temptation to speak loudly.
4. Help orient the patient. Explain (or re-explain) who you are and what you will be doing.
5. If possible, meet in surroundings familiar to the patient. Consider having a family member or other familiar person present at first.
6. Support and reassure the patient. Acknowledge when responses are correct.
7. If the patient gropes for a word, gently provide assistance.
8. Make it clear that the encounter is not a "test" but rather a search for information to help the patient.
9. Use simple, direct wording. Present one question, instruction, or statement at a time.
10. If the patient hears you but does not understand you, rephrase your statement.
11. Although open-ended questions are advisable in most interview situations, patients with cognitive impairments often have difficulty coping with them. Consider using a yes-or-no or multiple-choice format.
12. Remember that many older people have hearing or vision problems, which can add to their confusion.
13. Consider having someone call the patient to follow up on instructions after outpatient visits.
14. If the patient can read, provide written instructions and other background information about the problem and options for solutions.
15. Address potential issues of driving, getting lost, and home safety each time you see the patient. And, encourage regular physical activity, social activity, hobbies, and intellectual stimulation, as well as a healthy diet. Some studies link these approaches to the maintenance of cognitive function.

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and up to date.

Content reviewed: May 17, 2017

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Learning how to improve communication skills will make you a better nurse by enabling you to better understand your patient’s needs. Communicating effectively with your patients will make accomplishing your daily nursing tasks much simpler by minimizing the barriers to mutual understanding.

Communicating Effectively with Patients

Considering your patient’s perspective is key to preventing encounters that resemble any kind of conflict, and sometimes the best way to achieve that is to, quite literally, get on their level. You can do this by practicing the following:

1. Assess your body language. Have your body at the same level as theirs. If necessary, sit in a chair so that you can be face to face and making eye contact. And always face them while speaking.

2. Make your interactions easier for them. Keep your sentences and questions short, stay on one topic at a time, and explain difficult concepts in clear terms.

3. Show them the proper respect. Accommodate their requests as much as is safe and prudent. Rather than speaking in commands, offer them choices. Strive to help them maintain their dignity.

4. Have patience. Due to their age, illness, or cognitive difficulties, they may move and speak more slowly than you do. Give them time to move at their pace. Positive patient communications need not be rushed.

5. Monitor your mechanics. Speak clearly and slowly, louder than you usually do, but without yelling. Enunciate complex words carefully, but use simple language as much as possible.

6. Provide simple written instructions when necessary; use graphics where possible. Patients coming out of surgery or trauma are less likely to remember everything you’ve told them. An easy to follow list of the basic concepts you’ve discussed will help to ensure compliance with their plan of care.

7. Give your patients ample time to respond or ask questions. This will help them feel like a valued partner in the management of their own health and make communicating effectively more likely.

Patient Communications

Including these strategies in your patient communications will strengthen your ability to provide the best possible care for your patients and make them feel like the valued partners in their own care that they are. It will also improve their experience with you and the nursing services provided by your facility, which can be beneficial to your patient satisfaction scores.

Which action is most likely to increase the effectiveness of communication when a patient is having difficulty understanding the health care worker's instructions?

How can effective communication be improved in healthcare?

What is the most important reason to improve the communication skills of health care professionals?

What are some ideas for improving communication between health providers and patients?