It therefore becomes apparent why it is imperative for professionals of all types to have an awareness, knowledge, and appreciation for others whose beliefs, practices, and values are different. This essay discusses how this awareness relates to the concept of cultural competency and the implications it has on the professional and healthcare industry. What is cultural competence? To be culturally competent the healthcare provider needs to understand his/her own worldviews and those of the patient, while avoiding stereotyping and misapplication of scientific knowledge. Cultural competence is obtaining cultural information and then applying that knowledge.
I will then go on to look at minimising conflict using a recognised technique and how the adverse effects can be minimised. Causes and Explanation Because there are a variety of personalities within the work place it is inevitable that there will be conflict at some point and this could be for any number of reasons; * Different Personal Values; at some point you may be asked to complete a task that conflicts with your ethical standards. When work conflicts with personal values conflict can arise very quickly and this can be overcome by trying not to ask people to do tasks that you know will cause them distress due to their beliefs/values. * Unpredictable Policies: When rules or policies change within the workplace and those changes are not communicated clearly, confusion and conflict can occur. It is essential to inform people of changes and why these changes are happening as when you are aware of why something is being altered you are much more likely to accept it.
Cultural communication is also another valuable principle in the communication process. Cultural differences arise in every situation and being able to properly translate to those of ethnic backgrounds is crucial when communicating healthcare needs and plans. Patients have the right to ask questions and understand what their diagnosis means and how they will be treated. Questions about billing, insurance, and scheduling is also important to be able to explain and properly apply for those of cultural differences. Being able to know your audience and adjust your approach to fit individual needs of patients creates an open door communication policy for those of cultural differences, gender, sex, and disabilities.
Ghaye et al (2000, pg 6) explain “reflection has the potential to transform both who we are and what we are able to do, for and with others in our healthcare worlds”. Reflective practice can help shape peoples values, which are fundamentally important as they make healthcare professionals the people they are. Reflection allows healthcare professionals to gain a sense of situation as it occurs and therefore gain a sense of clarity. Reflective practice permits health care professionals to assess the impact of their work on service users, families and their colleagues. This is essential for people working within health and social care as it improves clinical practice.
Critical incidents are snapshots of something that happens to a patient, their family or nurse. It may be something positive, or it could be a situation where someone has suffered in some way (Rich & Parker 2001). Reflection and analysis of critical incidents is widely regarded as a valuable learning tool for nurses. The practice requires us to explore our actions and feelings and examine evidence-based literature, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice (Bailey 1995). It also affords us the opportunity of changing our way of thinking or practicing, for when we reflect on an incident we can learn valuable lessons from what did and did not work.
2. Describe how to treat other people in a way that is sensitive to their needs. I can treat other people in a way that is sensitive to their needs by observing how they act. This will give a good indication as to what type of person they are and what they can and cannot do. This then allows me to be able to change how I treat that person as I will know what their needs are and can be sensitive to them regarding how they are.
This requires in-depth understanding of the individual’s life circumstances and preferences, combined with up-to-date evidence-based knowledge about individualized medical and social condition and treatment. Values are: individuality, rights, choice, dignity, privacy, independence, partnership, respect. Explain why it is important to work in a
Unit 11: Principle of Personal Development in Adult Social Care Settings 1. Understand how to reflect on practice in adult social care 2.1 Explain what reflective practice is As part of our job role it is important to carry out reflective practice, especially because we work with elderly people and our effectiveness will have an impact on them. Reflective practice means thinking about and evaluating what you do and discussing any changes which could be made. This means focusing on how we interact with colleagues, service users and the environment. It means thinking about how we could have done something differently, what we did well and what we could have done better.
Effective communication is important to get information from patient or staffs. Actually experience, skill, condition of the patient, health care environment, and the system of communication plays an important role for the treatment of the patient. Communication skills are crucial in the health care setting. Usually right after we visit the patient for the first time, we can figure out his or her mood and general health condition. According to that we can investigate the problem and take action to resolve it.
Factors such as age, gender, race, and educational background can affect the way one must communicate with another. The words used, the nonverbal gestures, such as eye contact or touch, and even one’s tone of voice can affect how a patient perceives the information that the nurse is providing. According to Williams, “Healthcare communication involves an effective line of communication between medical professionals, clients and the patient. An essential component of patient healthcare providers’ communication is the ability to provide information that can improve patient understanding. Effective communication between patients and healthcare providers is a critical element to quality healthcare” (Healthcare Communication).