Chapter 6 Flashcards
- Gender groups: Male or female
- Racial groups: Distinguished by skin color and other physical characteristics
- Generational groups: Generation Y (millennials), generation X (those born between the early 1960s and 1980), baby boomers, and the elderly
- Geographic groups: North or south; east coast or west coast; native cultures in Hawaii, Alaska, and on and around reservations, plus areas where ethnic culture endures because large numbers of immigrants from a certain country have settled there, such as Mexican influences along the southern borders of Texas and California and the Scandinavian heritage in Minnesota
- Sexual preference groups: Heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
- Religious groups
- Groups based on nonracial physical characteristics: Blind, deaf, disabled, and/or obese
- Socioeconomic groups: Low income (unemployed, welfare recipients, uninsured, underinsured), middle income, or affluent
- Groups with various types of family structure: Singles, unmarried couples with and without children, traditional nuclear families, single mother or single father heads of households, parents with children and grandchildren, and large, close-knit extended families
Cultural groups
- Patients expect to know and understand details of their conditions and treatments.
- Direct eye contact is expected; avoid excessive direct eye contact with members of the opposite sex to avoid any hint of sexual connotation.
- Emotional control is expected. Privacy is important and must be respected.
- Decisions are made by individuals for themselves and may be made by either parent for a child.
- Independence is valued, and self-care concepts are generally accepted.
Anglo-American
-patients may not trust “white institutions” such as hospitals, and may be easily upset by what they perceive to be discrimination. Be especially sensitive to this issue.
* Do not refer to a man as a “boy” or a woman as a “gal.” These terms are often perceived as insulting. Address individuals using their titles and last names.
-The father or eldest male may be the spokesperson or primary decision maker.
* They may believe that disease is caused by improper diet, exposure to cold or wind, punishment by God for sin, or voodoo spells.
* Many have a present time orientation
African American
- The patient may indicate agreement with no intention to follow through; therefore, it is important to explain reasons for compliance with instructions and to ask open-ended questions instead of those that can be satisfied with a “yes” or “no” answer.
- Avoid direct eye contact and hand gestures.
-There are no pronouns - Tremendous respect is accorded to the elderly.
- Traditional healing methods include coining, cupping, the use of herbs, and changes in temperature.
Asian
This group includes Hindus and Muslims (followers of Islam) from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
East Indian
- Direct eye contact may be perceived as rude or disrespectful, especially among the elderly.
- Silence may indicate acceptance or approval.
- Men should avoid shaking hands with women unless they extend their hand first.
- The father or eldest son usually has decision-making power after other family members have been consulted.
- Husbands may answer questions addressed to their wives.
East Indian
- Family members are likely to want to stay with patients and assist them with activities of daily living rather than allowing these tasks to be done by professional caregivers.
- Patients may refuse certain foods or medications that they believe will upset the body’s hot-cold balance. Avoid ice water unless requested. A high fat content in food may be perceived as healthy.
- Many have a present-time orientation
- Patients may respond to pain with loud outcries, depending on the audience. Men may be more expressive around family members than with health professionals.
- Traditional wives will defer to their husbands for decisions that involve care for themselves or their children.
Hispanic
- There is a tendency to be loud and expressive, especially during childbirth, when someone has died, and when in pain.
- Family members may feel responsible for ensuring the best care possible, and so may make emphatic demands of health care personnel.
- Sexual segregation is extremely important; therefore, same-sex caregivers should be assigned whenever possible. Every effort must be made to maintain a woman’s modesty at all times. Women do not wish to remove their headscarves (hijabs), especially in the presence of men.
-Do not eat pork
-The evil eye of envy may also be thought to cause illness or misfortune
Middle Eastern
- Stories and metaphors may be used to communicate ideas. For example, a story about a neighbor who is ill may be a patient’s way of describing his own symptoms.
- Long pauses in a conversation usually indicate that careful consideration is being given to a question. Do not rush the patient.
- Loud or aggressive behavior is considered offensive and should be avoided.
- Direct eye contact should be avoided, both as a show of respect and because some may believe that this threatens the loss or theft of their soul.
- Traditional healing may be combined with the use of Western medicine.
Native American
- Family members will be anxious about patients and will expect frequent updates about progress, treatments, and tests.
- Loud, abrasive demands for attention may be a reflection of the fact that this attitude was necessary to meet one’s needs
- A warm, caring attitude on the part of caregivers is especially welcome.
Direct eye contact and a firm, respectful attitude are comfortable. Address patients using titles and last names. Hand gestures and facial expression may be used by patients, especially when not proficient in English
Russian
a system designed to provide benefit
medical regimen
discriminating against someone based on his or her size
Sizeism
requires radiographers to
put aside all personal prejudice and emotional
bias, rendering services to humanity with full
respect for the dignity of humankind
The ARRT Code of Ethics
-eye contact
-touch
-apperance
Nonverbal Communication
Reassures the patient that you are both capable and caring
positive touch
Ability to give the speaker your full attention and focus
-respond to what has been said
Listening Skills
Ability to use language and content that is appropriate for your patient
Verbal Skills
revealed by nonverbal behaviors and also by tone of voice and choice of words
Attitude
Valuable strategy in communication and should not be confused with aggression
-desirable behavior characterized by a calm, firm expression of feelings or emotions
Assertiveness
Undesirable behavior characterized by anger or hostility
Aggressiveness
An indication of a clear understanding of the message
Validation of Communication
Neither party can be certain that all elements of a message have been correctly understood
Without validation
Interferes with our ability to process information accurately and appropriately
Stress
Suggestions to improve communication effectiveness in a crisis situation:
- Lower your voice, and speak slowly and clearly when a situation is highly emotional.
- Be nonjudgmental in both verbal and nonverbal communication.
- Do not allow an upset individual’s inappropriate actions or speech to goad you into a similar response.
- When you are uncertain whether the listener has understood you, request an answer. For example, “Did you read the consent form? What did it say?”
The quality of having the ability or tendency to function independently
(Self determination)
Autonomy
Addressing the patient
Valid choices
Avoiding assumptions
Assessment through communication
Therapeutic communication
Communication with Patients
Introductions are normally first.
Avoid impersonalizing patients, such as identifying
patient by the exam rather than by name.
Address patient appropriately.
Avoid use of “honey,” “sweetie,” or other such names
Addresing the patient
Defined as alternatives that are all acceptable to
you
Provide patient with a sense of participation in his or her care
Valid choices
Helps in preventing errors during procedures
Avoiding Assumptions
Use of routine positioning techniques for all
outpatients
Patient understood and followed preparation
procedures for contrast
Common assumptions
Combining observation with therapeutic
communications to determine patient’s ability
to cooperate with the examination
Assessment Through Communication
A process in which the healthcare professional
consciously influences a client or helps the client
to a better understanding through verbal or
nonverbal communication
Therapeutic Commmunication
-Rejecting
-Disapproving
-Disagreeing
-Advising
-Requesting an explanation
-Indicating the existence of an external source
-Belitting feelings
-Denial
-Changing the subject
Deterrents to Therapeutic Communication
-Using silence
-Accepting
-Giving recognition
-Using general leads (using neutral expressions to encourage continued talking by the client)
-Placing the event in time or sequence
-Making observations
-Encouraging description of perceptions
-Restating
-Reflecting
-Focusing
-Exploring
-Giving information
-Seeking clarification
-Presenting reality
-Voicing doubt
-Attempting to translate into feelings
-Suggested collaboration
-Summarizing
Therapeutic Communication Techniques
Patients who do not speak English
The hearing impaired
Deafness
Impaired vision
Inability to speak
Impaired mental function
Altered states of consciousness
Special Circumstances That Affect Communication
