Essay
Health and Social Care Unit 1 P3, P4, M2, D1
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
BTEC Level 3 Health and Social Care Unit 1, contains P3, P4, M2, D1. Full reference list included. Distinction achieved.
[Show more]
Content preview
Unit 1: Developing Effective CommunicationTask 3
In this report I will be explaining the various different factors which have the potential
to influence communication in health and social care environments, either positively
or negatively. These factors are called barriers. Communication barriers are defined
as anything that prevents receiving and understanding the message others use to
convey information (Research Gate, 2016). It will then go on to suggest and explain
he different possible strategies that can be used to overcome barriers.
Environmental Barriers
There are a number of barriers to effective communication in health and social care.
One of these is the environment. If the environment obstructs effective
communication, then the receiver may not understand the message that is being
given to them. When caring for an individual, one must ensure that the environment
is suitable to have a conversation. Environmental barriers to communication are any
part of the environment or surroundings that can prevent communication or getting in
touch with another person or something else (Reynolds, 2020). There are three main
environmental barriers which can affect communication, these are: noise, lighting
and temperature.
Background noise can be a barrier as it could mean that a care worker and a client
are not able to hear each other, this could lead to miscommunication. For example, if
a doctor is diagnosing a patient in a busy waiting room. Then the patient may
become uneasy and anxious as they are unable to hear what the doctor is saying to
them. The best way to overcome this barrier would be for the doctor to take the
patient somewhere quiet, like an office, to talk and avoid the possibility of
miscommunication. This would make the patient feel more at ease as they are able
to hear and understand the information that they are being told.
Noisiness can also relate to temperature as if a patient is in a warm and busy waiting
room, then they can quickly become agitated and unable to listen effectively. For
example, if the patient in the above example was in a hot and busy waiting room,
then not only would the patient be unable to hear the doctor, but they will not be
concentrating on what they are saying properly as they are too focused on how
warm they are. To overcome this, the people in charge of the waiting room could
ensure that an air conditioning system is installed to prevent the patients getting too
warm. Also, the doctor could take the patient into a quiet and cooler room to again
prevent the possibility of miscommunication. This would make the patient feel more
comfortable in the environment as they would be listening effectively and would be
able to hear all of the information they are being told.
The strategies used above to prevent environmental communication barriers have
both strengths and weaknesses. A weakness could be that it is not always possible
to remove an individual from an environment where there is background noise as
background noise does not only have to be other people talking or a television or
radio. It could mean that in the doctor’s office, the computer is making noises as the
doctor could be getting emails coming through. A strength of this strategy would be
that the doctor is able to speak to the patient properly and will have their full
attention. Also, it ensures that there are limited distractions meaning that the
~1~
, Unit 1: Developing Effective Communication
individual will be concentrating on what the doctor is saying. It will mean that the
message which the doctor is trying to get across will be understood properly.
Sensory Deprivation
Another barrier to communication in health and social care is sensory deprivation. If
a service user has a sensory deprivation, then this can cause a major barrier as it is
not always noticeable straight away. Sensory deprivation is when someone is
deprived of normal external stimuli such as sight and sound for an extended period
of time (Oxford Dictionary, 2020). When caring for an individual with sensory
deprivation, there are many factors which can cause a barrier, some include: lighting
and background noise.
Lighting can be a barrier to communication as if a carer is attempting to
communicate with a deaf person, and the lighting is poor then this will cause
miscommunication. For example, a doctor is diagnosing a deaf person with an
underlying health issue in a room with poor lighting. The deaf person will be trying to
interpret what the doctor is saying by lipreading. However, in poor lighting the
individual will be unable to do this. This could also occur if the doctor is not
maintaining eye contact as the individual will be unable to make out what they are
saying. This will make the individual feel anxious and uneasy as they will be
struggling to understand and make out the information which the doctor is telling
them. To overcome this, the doctor should ensure that the room is well lit and that
they maintain eye contact with the individual. The doctor could also use visual aids
and pictures or invest in an interpreter. This would ensure that the individual
understood everything that the doctor was telling them. This would also put the
individual at ease and make them feel more comfortable in the situation.
Background noise can be a barrier to communication as if a carer was attempting to
communicate with a blind or partially sighted person and background noise is high,
this can cause miscommunication. For example, if a care worker was visiting a blind
woman and the radio is loud, then the woman would be unable to hear what the
carer is saying to her. This would make the woman feel isolated and scared as she
would not be able to make out what her carer is saying to her. This could make her
feel paranoid as she would be trying to understand and would be doing so
unsuccessfully. The care worker could overcome this by turning down the radio to
ensure that the woman is able to hear her talking and fully understand what she is
being told. To check her understanding, the care worker could ask for the woman to
repeat what she has been told and encourage her to ask questions if there is
anything that she does not understand. This will make the woman feel important and
will put her at ease, also it will make the women feel more comfortable in her
surroundings and with her carer.
The strategy used above for those who are hard of hearing is known to be very
effective. On average, adults can only make eye contact 30-60% of the time while
speaking to others (Umoh, 2017). This means that by the staff making eye contact
with their patients, it will make the patients feel comfortable and make them more
likely to listen effectively. This will make the patient feel important and respected, this
will ultimately boost their self esteem and make them feel empowered. Although this
~2~
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller rhiannonharvey. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67474 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now