Introduction
Social care and medical experts should develop appropriate communication skills if they are to establish meaningful relationships with the people they serve. Such professionals need to consider the emerging needs of their clients and their respective family members. A powerful philosophy of communication will make it possible for these human services providers to engage their colleagues efficiently and focus on the wider organisational goals. This essay describes the major theories and principles of communication in social and health care.
Key Communication Theories
The field of communication has compelled different scholars to present superior theories that can guide people to engage each other and focus on the best outcomes. Medical and social workers can rely on such models to identify the challenges their clients face and provide high-quality and personalised support. Mackinova et al. (2019) identify functional communication theories as models that explain how societies have real structures that individuals will observe objectively. Interactionism theories have also emerged that identify humans as social beings capable of interacting verbally and non-verbally. Messina (2017) identifies interpretive theories as powerful concepts that try to analyse and describe how people appreciate their experiences when interacting with others. The nature of these models explains why individuals tend to apply various skills and strategies depending on various factors, such as age, closeness to one another and the anticipated outcomes.
Social exchange theory revolves around interpersonal relationships to explain how individuals tend to communicate to satisfy their partners’ interests. Self-interest emerges as a positive attribute under this model and it explains why and how fast individuals would exchange critical information (Eginli and Tas, 2018). Social learning theory is another framework that describes non-verbal communication and how people learn through imitation, observation and emotional reactions (Morley and Cashell, 2017). The environmental and cognitive influences will have significant implications for the communication process. Social penetration theory has emerged as another powerful model that explains how people communicate. While it mainly focuses on intimate relationships, it describes how self-disclosure develops gradually and has the potential to leave one of the parties vulnerable.
In the fields of social care and health, symbolic interactionism theory emerges as a powerful concept that describes how the idea of the self emerges. These principles will support this model: meaning, language and thought (Skarbalienė, Skarbalius and Gedrimė, 2019). Self-concept will become nonexistence without effective communication (Morley and Cashell, 2017). Uncertainty reaction theory describes how verbal and non-verbal communication has the potential to reduce uncertainties when two or more strangers meet. Communication becomes a powerful tool for improving assurance and bringing the two individuals closer depending on the existing factors.
Similarly, there are specific communication theories that are attributable to record keeping. For instance, the above concepts can be applied to the entire practice whereby the client allows the practitioner to collect personal data and information and file it for future reference and the continuous provision of personalised services. Social exchange theory becomes a fundamental approach for dictating the entire process of records management (Rodríguez, 2017). Within the two professional fields, it is agreeable that there are various aspects that all stakeholders need to take seriously, such as patient confidentiality, promotion of personal liberties and privacy (Mackinova et al., 2019). The ultimate aim is to ensure that the practitioner is satisfied with the situation while the client receives high-quality services.
When adopting each of the above communication theories in records keeping, medical and social care practitioners need to apply some unique principles to support the delivery of positive results. For instance, individuals should remain accountable and transparent when collecting and documenting information (Baker and King, 2016). They need to exhibit the highest level of compliance to the outlined standards and protect every client’s wellbeing. The information should be accessible to authorised persons within the practice only. The parties need to agree on when the content needs to be retained or disposed of.
Principles of Communication Skills
Communication theories are powerful guidelines that allow individuals to focus on the best practices and understand how they can engage different partners, colleagues, or strangers. Such models provide a lens for understanding any form of conversation, the exhibited verbal and nonverbal aspects and predicting the possible outcome. However, Heras-Pedrosa (2020) acknowledges that the use of various theories of communication could not be adequate for professionals in social and health practice. Consequently, they need to consider and apply some of the major principles if they are to achieve their aims and deliver the best support to more clients.
Some of the key principles that experts need to consider include goal formulation, listening attentively to the selected colleagues and clients, remaining organised and considering the best approaches to record positive outcomes. Professionals should remain visual, use non-verbal cues effectively and adjust their communication strategies depending on the existing situations (Eginli and Tas, 2018). The integration of stories and consideration of the participants’ social and cultural aspects ensure that timely results are eventually recorded.
Barriers to Effective Communication
Social and health practitioners need to be prepared for possible challenges and barriers that might emerge in their respective settings. Such occurrences are capable of defying the implemented communication models and affecting the recorded outcomes. The first barrier that could arise when providing medical or social support services to different individuals is that of job dissatisfaction. Professionals who become unhappy with their workplaces might be unable to engage their clients or consider new ways of delivering timely outcomes (Rodríguez, 2017). The result is that the beneficiaries will not record desirable social or medical experiences.
The second challenge that could disorient the intended level of communication is the occurrence of conflicts. In healthcare settings, medical experts might be unable to share ideas or focus on shared goals. This scenario means that the organisation will be characterised by ineffective communication. The third barrier to effective communication is the existence of language differences (Pang and Hutchinson, 2018). This issue should encourage leaders in different settings to identify new ways of addressing the record cultural differences to ensure that beneficiaries received the intended support.
The fourth barrier to effective communication is associated with personal factors. For instance, some individuals might be unwilling to share their past experiences or be involved in the entire process. This development will result in communication breakdown and make it impossible for the professionals to meet the demands of the patients. Another notable barrier is when the targeted individuals have diverse backgrounds and lack appropriate strategies to cope and support each other (Parsi and Elster, 2015). In societies characterised by racism and stereotypes, some ethnic groups might be unwilling to receive medical support from professionals from other races. This scenario will have detrimental implications on the overall level of communication. Practitioners in these two fields should, therefore, be aware of these possible barriers and develop powerful philosophies to overcome them and eventually achieve their maximum potential.
Professional Expectations: Communication and Record-Keeping
Nurses, clinicians and social workers need to practice following the outlined codes to meet the demands of the targeted clients and uphold the integrity of their respective professions. Leaders, supervisors and regulatory bodies expect the professionals to fulfil specific expectations in the areas of communication and record-keeping (Hurtig, Alper and Berkowitz, 2018). Such guidelines are designed in such a way that all experts are capable of prioritising people, preserving the highest level of safety, promoting professionalism and ensuring that the beneficiaries record meaningful experiences.
Focusing on communication, these individuals are expected to avoid exhibiting their cultural differences when engaging clients with diverse backgrounds. They need to listen attentively, ask professional questions and avoid overstepping their mandate (Ahmed et al., 2017). Such experts should be able to listen attentively and allow members of the family to be part of the process. Practitioners should avoid forming relationships with the people or patients they are supposed to serve. This requirement compels them to avoid asking personal questions or expecting their clients to offer favours to receive the intended services.
Practitioners need to remain professional by using the right words and avoiding derogatory statements that could harm or affect the experience of every targeted client. They should consider the principles of communication outlined above to avoid challenges that might emerge. Such caregivers need to use various communication technologies and skills that are capable of supporting the provision of person-centred care (Brady et al., 2017). They should engage clients continuously to enhance safety and quality. Individuals should receive the relevant information in a language and process that allows them to be aware of what is going on and be involved in decision-making (Nursing and Midwifery Council, nd). The Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Standards capture most of these attributes and encourage professionals to follow them if they are to record positive results.
The presented guidelines provide additional principles and professional expectations for these experts when engaging in record keeping. First, they should be consistent, accurate and factual when capturing and documenting information (Manojlovich et al., 2019). Second, the files need to be updated continuously depending on the individual’s progress. Third, the information should be available to the client or patient and the other family members. Fourth, all members of the team should be able to access, read and interpret the content accurately. Fifth, the information has to be written and documented professionally to ensure that no one can delete it. All workers need to adhere to the outlined record keeping procedures to maximise the level of professionalism.
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified some of the communication principles and theories that professionals in the fields of social care and health need to take seriously. Such practitioners should apply such concepts effectively to engage their clients, solve emerging challenges and identify new procedures for improving the overall image of these two fields. All the recordkeeping protocols outlined in the essay are also worth following to augment the communication process and eventually ensure that positive results are recorded.
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