Interview summary and a description of the communication techniques
The interview process with the mentioned patient will begin with creating a convenient environment to enable the conversational flow. It implies creating a patient-centered communication environment that enhances trust and evaluation of healthcare quality, leading to patient-centered care (Hong &Oh, 2020). According to the Institute of Medicine (2001), patient-centered care can is defined as "respecting and responding to patients' wants, needs, and preferences, so that they can make choices in their care that best fit their circumstances". It includes concepts of caring, sharing, communication, listening, and building therapeutic relationships (Haley et al., 2017). Based on the scenario, the interview will be centered around the patient's condition and needs, establishing a relationship that enhances dialogue while respecting the patient's cultural and ethnic values. Our mentioned patient is a 55-year-old Asian female living in a high-density public complex. It may suggest that the patient is at risk of abuse, has a poor socioeconomic background. Creating a friendly environment that favors communication built on courtesy, comfort, connectedness, and confirmation will facilitate obtaining accurate health and social history (Ball et al., 2019).
The patient-centered care(PCC) approach to healthcare has been shown to improve patient's clinical outcomes significantly. For example, patient's whose providers have used the patient-centered-care approach have reported better adherence to treatment and better control of chronic conditions like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol (Haley et al., 2017). Using empathy which is a characteristic of PCC, during the patient interview can lead to effective communication and improve therapeutic relationships between the provider and the patient (Haley et al., 2017). This technique will help create a closer relationship with the patient leading to a more accurate data collection and assessment. Effective communication will lead to better patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Risk assessment instrument selected and justification.
Several health risk assessment tools are available and can be applied based on assessing the individual patient condition and critical health parameters, including history, presence, and severity of risky behavior, pattern, risk factors, intention, and planning (Ayhan & Üstün, 2021). The risk assessment instrument I will apply for the above patient will be the Risk Assessment and Management (RAM) tool. It consists of three main sections: risk history, risk assessment, and risk management (Ayhan & Üstün, 2021). The RAM tool has been shown to permit strategic and structured data collection, facilitated personnel risk communication, and enabled effective documentation. It is also an effective tool to assess community psychiatric patients (Ayhan & Üstün, 2021).
Targeted questions to ask the patient.
After creating rapport and establishing a friendly environment for communication, patient-centered questions can now be asked mostly in an open-ended manner to gather enough information as possible about the patient’s condition. Some of these questions may include:
- What brings you in here today?
- Describe your current health situation?
- Tell me how your present health situation has influenced your day-to-day life?
- Tell me about any health issues you have had in the past?
- What are the disease conditions which are common in your family?
- Tell me about the medications you currently take.
- Tell me about your current leaving situation.
Establishing a personal connection with each patient through effective communication is key to obtaining detailed information about the patient's condition. It will lead to a more focused assessment, effective diagnosis, and treatment.
References
Ayhan, F., & Üstün, B. (2021). Examination of risk assessment tools developed to evaluate risks in mental health areas: A systematic review. Nursing Forum, 56(2), 330–340. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/nuf.12557
Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., Stewart, R. W. (2019). Seidel's guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach (9th ed). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby
Diamond-Fox, S. (2021). Undertaking consultations and clinical assessments at advanced level. British Journal of Nursing, 30(4), 238–243. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.4.238
Haley, B., Heo, S., Wright, P., Barone, C., Rettigantid, M. R., & Anders, M. (2017). Effects of using an advancing care excellence for seniors simulation scenario on nursing student empathy: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 13(10), 511–519. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2017.06.003
Hong, H., Oh, H. (2020). The effects of patient-centered communication: Exploring the mediating role of trust in healthcare providers. Health Communication, 35(4), 502-511, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2019.1570427
Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: a new health system for the 21st century, Washington, DC, 2001, National Academies Press.