With the help of IT, healthcare professionals receive a great opportunity to benefit patients and improve their well-being. Technologies make it easier to communicate information about people’s condition and to minimalize the possibility of error. Unfortunately, some patients reveal their dissatisfaction associated with the increased use of IT. In particular, they emphasize that professionals seem to be more interested in the machines instead of working with patients. However, the use of the Theory of Human Caring can improve this situation greatly because it can emphasize patient-focused experiences.
Value of Patient-Centred Communication
Communication presupposes the presence of interaction between two or more people. It can be verbal and non-verbal, which means that different types of information can be obtained. People’s speech, their facial expressions, and gestures should be considered in order to perceive their claims appropriately. Communication is critical in the framework of healthcare because its failure can lead to errors and adverse events (Hashim, 2017).
Even the quality of healthcare services depends greatly on people’s interactions. To ensure that provided care meets people’s needs and values, it is significant to increase the recognition of patients’ engagement. It is vital for healthcare professionals to express their empathy and try to understand the situation from clients’ point of view. In this way, it is significant for them to pay attention to individuals’ feelings and concerns. Their social and religious background should also be considered because respect to it is to be revealed in practice. Patients need to be encouraged to share their feedback regarding all interventions so that they can be timely adjusted.
Theory of Human Caring
Jean Watson developed a nursing theory that can be used to improve interactions with patients and minimalize their dissatisfaction associated with the use of technology (Wayne, 2016). According to it, professionals need to communicate with their clients in order to ensure the improvement of their well-being. It is vital to recognize individual people’s needs and to satisfy them. Patients should be accepted as they are; nurses should not try to change people so that their worldview becomes similar. Nevertheless, educational approaches may be beneficial in this situation. For instance, considering the use of technology, nurses can explain to their patients why it is needed and how it benefits them. However, it is not appropriate to argue with clients regarding the use of IT.
Patient Engagement in a High-Tech Environment
Patient services are critical for healthcare and that is why it is significant to ensure that they are managed appropriately. In order to avoid clients’ dissatisfaction associated with the use of technology, nurses should consider a possibility to spend some time on patient education (Lush, Rosner, Zant, & Notte, 2016). In particular, professionals should explain the way IT benefits the sphere of healthcare and the client. In addition to that, it is vital to implement some changes in nursing practice. Communicating with their patients, professionals should pay minimal attention to their devices. If during interaction it is revealed that an individual perceives the use of IT negatively, a nurse should make all needed notes when the dialogue is ended.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that the use of technology may be negatively viewed by patients even though it has positive influences on the sphere of healthcare. In order to minimalize associated problems, nurses should utilize the principles of the Theory of Human Caring. In particular, advantages are likely to be observed if professionals educate their clients and explain to them the role of IT. However, in some cases, it may be better to minimalize the use of technology in front of a patient.
References
Hashim, M. (2017). Patient-centered communication: Basic skills. American Family Physician, 95(1), 29-34.
Lush, M., Rosner, D., Zant, C., & Notte, S. (2016). Patient engagement strategies in a digital environment: Life sciences companies respond to changing patient expectations. Deloitte Review, 18, 20-35.
Wayne, G. (2016). Jean Watson’s theory of human caring. Web.