Chapter 4 Communications and Documentation Flashcards
What is therapeutic communication?
Therapeutic communication employs verbal and nonverbal strategies to encourage patients to express their feelings, ensuring a positive patient-provider relationship.
Describe the Shannon-Weaver communication model.
This model involves the sender encoding a message, transmitting it, the receiver decoding it, and providing feedback.
What are the key components of the sender-receiver feedback loop in communication?
Key components include encoding, transmitting, decoding messages, and providing feedback.
How does culture affect communication?
Cultural norms influence body language, eye contact, emotional expression, and space preferences during communication.
What is ethnocentrism, and how can it impact patient care?
Valuing one’s own cultural norms above others; it can cause misinterpretation and reduce patient trust.
Define cultural imposition and provide an example.
Forcing personal cultural values on patients, as seen when rejecting cultural practices (e.g., coining) without understanding their significance.
List three examples of nonverbal communication.
Body language, facial expressions, and eye contact.
How can tone, pace, and volume of speech influence communication?
Tone, pace, and volume can convey urgency, calmness, or reassurance, shaping understanding and trust.
What strategies can you use to de-escalate a situation with a hostile patient?
Stay calm, assess the scene’s safety, avoid aggressive postures, use open hand gestures, and speak slowly and confidently.
Why is empathy important in therapeutic communication?
Empathy fosters trust, reduces patient anxiety, and improves communication by showing understanding and care.
Differentiate between open-ended and closed-ended questions.
Open-ended questions invite detailed responses; closed-ended ones elicit specific, brief answers.
Provide an example of a situation where open-ended questions are most useful.
Ideal in assessing patient complaints or emotions, e.g., ‘What brought you in today?’
When might closed-ended questions be more appropriate?
Useful in emergencies or when clarity is needed, e.g., ‘Are you allergic to any medications?’
What are facilitation and reflection in communication?
Facilitation encourages further patient sharing; reflection confirms understanding by repeating key points.
Why should you avoid giving false reassurances to a patient?
These undermine trust and prevent honest patient-provider communication.
How can touch be used effectively during patient interviews?
Respectfully touch hands or shoulders to convey empathy while avoiding intimate areas.
What is the importance of summarizing during a patient interview?
Ensures mutual understanding and reviews key points before concluding an interaction.
Describe the Golden Rules of patient communication.
Maintain eye contact, introduce yourself, use understandable language, and speak calmly and confidently.
Why is it important to avoid professional jargon when speaking with patients?
Prevents miscommunication and ensures patient comprehension.
What role does family presence play in patient communication?
Can support or hinder communication, depending on their behavior and the patient’s needs.
How should you approach communication with elderly patients?
Approach calmly, give them time to respond, and avoid assumptions about their cognitive ability.
What are the challenges of communicating with visually impaired patients?
Explain actions thoroughly, maintain physical contact like a guiding arm, and transport aids like canes.
Describe techniques for effective communication with hearing-impaired patients.
Use visual cues, avoid shouting, and have tools like pens or apps ready.
What are some best practices for communicating with non-English-speaking patients?
Simplify language, use gestures, employ interpreters, and learn basic phrases in common languages.
How does communication differ when dealing with pediatric patients?
Use a calm, friendly tone, explain procedures honestly, and consider allowing favorite items for comfort.
Why is honesty critical when communicating with children?
Builds trust, as children can easily detect dishonesty.
How can cultural norms influence the communication process?
Influence communication styles, requiring sensitivity to behaviors like avoiding eye contact or preferring personal space.
Describe the behavioral change stairway model.
Includes active listening, empathy, rapport building, influence, and initiating change.
Why is active listening particularly important with special populations?
Demonstrates attentiveness and validates patient feelings, essential for building trust.
List three techniques to ensure clear communication with a patient experiencing anxiety.
Speak slowly, provide reassurance, and simplify communication.
Define informed consent and how it applies to EMS.
Informed consent in EMS requires explaining the nature of care, potential risks, and benefits to the patient. It ensures the patient voluntarily agrees to treatment. It applies when patients have the capacity to understand and make decisions about their care.
What is the importance of obtaining signatures on a refusal of care form?
Signatures demonstrate that EMS professionals informed the patient of the risks associated with refusing care. It protects against liability by documenting that the patient made an informed decision.
Describe the legal implications of HIPAA in EMS communication.
HIPAA mandates EMS providers protect patient information by limiting access and avoiding unnecessary disclosure during verbal, written, or electronic communication.
How does proper documentation protect EMS providers in court?
Complete and accurate documentation serves as legal evidence that appropriate care was provided, reducing liability and supporting defense in legal disputes.
What is the role of medical necessity in billing for ambulance services?
Ambulance services are reimbursed only if medical necessity is demonstrated, meaning transport was required due to the patient’s inability to safely travel by other means.
List common errors in documentation and how to avoid them.
Errors include incomplete records, use of non-standard abbreviations, and omission of details. They can be avoided by thorough training, proofreading, and following standardized documentation protocols.
What are the ethical considerations when documenting patient interactions?
Ensure accuracy, avoid bias, and document only factual information. Misrepresentation or subjective opinions can compromise care integrity and legal defensibility.
How can EMS professionals ensure patient confidentiality in radio communications?
Use encrypted channels when available, avoid sharing identifiable information, and adhere to protocols that minimize exposure.
Describe the importance of reporting suspected abuse or neglect.
EMS providers are mandated reporters. Reporting ensures early intervention, potentially preventing further harm and ensuring compliance with legal obligations.
What are the consequences of failing to document accurately?
Inaccurate documentation can lead to legal actions, compromised patient care, and diminished trust in EMS services.
