Stress in Hostpitals

I have interviewed a nurse and a patient in the PGH Cancer Institute, though it may be hard to persuade them, I have been successful in finding ways to have them in my research. Subject 1 is a nurse that has been in the hospital for 3 years. The second subject is a patient that has suffered his illness for 4 years. This subjects are from the medical field and studies, and they are directly related to this research, for I observed the tension in communication between a doctor and his/her patient. This also relates to the medicinal studies in STEM, and will help me create a view of the whole subject.

This study is chosen because I want to become a proper and methodological doctor when I finish my studies. Exposing myself early in these kinds of studies can prepare me in my future endeavors and can potentially make my college life easy and much more bearable. This study is also associated with STEM, because it teaches technologies and science. Medicine is not just medicine, it requires critical thinking along with sciences and technologies.

I can use this study to further avoid implications in my communication skills, for this alone can highlight many different communication barriers and it is my job to find ways to conquer them in the future, and finally, becoming a better communicator.

  Questions Yes No
  1. Are there patients who are hard to understand when stating symptoms?
Nurse(Anonymous) 2. Have you ever made a mistake when diagnosing a patient?  
  3. Do your patients always follow instructions?  
4. Do you use jargons when discussing with patients?
5. Do you consider explaining to patients the things in their diagnoses that they have difficulty wrapping their head around in?
✓  

  Questions Yes No
  1. Are you having difficulties in understanding what the doctor is saying?
A patient in PHG Cancer Institute 2. Do you pretend that you understand what the doctor is saying?
  3. Do you abide to your doctor’s commands?
= 4. Do you properly respond to the doctor’s questions? ✓  
5. Does the doctor’s presence put pressure on you? ✓  

In hospitals, where people are always serious and their situations seems like they’re facing impending doom, stress and unfamiliarity reign supreme. Though people might be there for treatment, it is inevitable for them to not be petrified by the doctor’s presence, often times in their conversations. This premise creates stress indescribable to the normal person, and this stress is the main culprit between the chaotic communication between doctors and their patients. Many doctors are exceptionally kind, even lifting the communication barrier between them and their respective patients, but for most doctors are generally serious and upfront (due to the nature of their job), people tend to behave differently, with a much more tamed personality than ever. Sure the patients gradually become subject to stress, but how can this be avoidable? Does it just stay there forever? Or can something be done? Note that this phenomena can be fatal when the patient absorbs too much stress beyond comprehensions, and instead of being treated, be worse.

Research articlesMain PointsSignificance to the communication problem
1. People’s blood pressure spikes when near a doctor.
White Coat Hypertension 2. Pressure and stress interrupts the person’s ability to send messages clearly.This creates the stress between the patients and their doctors
3. This creates situations where patients cannot give feedback.
1. Social anxiety takes away the cognitive functions of its host when communicating in public .
Social Anxiety2. This problem is hard to adress because of it’s nature.People create difficulties that can hinder their communication processes due to social anxiety
3. There might be catastrophic events where anxiety reigns in a conversation.
1. The hospital can induce scenes that are often overwhelming to the normal person.
Stress created by Hospitals2. Everything in the facility might seem foreign.Anxiety and stress created by the hospital facilities can be taken into account when things get cloudy in a conversation between a doctor and his/her patient.
3. People are often uncomfortable when entering a hospital.
1. Hospitals, undoubtedly, is not pain free.
Hospitals tend to signify pain2. Most methods is guaranteed to be painful.The human trait of survival kicks in when a person is inside a hospital, for he expects pain and fear.
3. Hospitals can’t accommodate much to the most painful diseases.

While most hospitals are not perceived as a stress-free environment, the employees can make their place a comfortable one! There are many ways a person can train to be more relaxing and trustworthy to talk to, such as performance conversation training.

References:

Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses, (Chapter 17: Improving the Quality of Care through Pain Assessment and Management).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2658/

Understanding your fear of people.

https://www.verywellmind.com/why-am-i-afraid-of-people-3024436

Coping with stress in hospitals.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?con=394

Stress in hospital patients.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-14163-0_9

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

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