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Topic 1 DQ 1
In order to redirect this patient’s appointment and her experience thus far, it would be imperative that this health care professional who initially addressed her to apologize for the mispronunciation and instead, ask her how she would prefer to be addressed and/or how she pronounces her last name. Health care providers should “Establish respect right away by using formal language…Use Mr., Mrs., Ms., and so on. Or, you might ask your patient about preferred forms of address and how she or he would like to address you. Avoid using familiar terms, like “dear” and “hon,” which tend to sound patronizing” (National Institute on Aging, 2017).
Specific to this scenario, The National Institute on Aging has a multitude of suggestions for educating elderly patients which can result in the increased likelihood of adherence to treatments, better outcomes, and greater satisfaction. Some of these tips include using the proper form of address, making the patients feel comfortable, establishing rapport, avoiding interruptions, utilizing active listening skills, demonstrating empathy, and avoiding medical jargon (National Institute on Aging, 2017). By using the advice given by Rothenberg, formulating a plan to improve the likelihood of Mrs. Faulkenberger’s adherence to an appropriate care plan may look something like this: Explain the logic behind the advice, understand her perceptions of the treatment, assess any problems with the continuation of care, determine whether the treatments will interfere with her lifestyle, include any involved family members, simplify any instructions for her to follow, but be specific, provide her with easy-to-read handouts, and allow for Mrs. Faulkenberger to ask a question and provide input (Rothenberg, 2003). Additionally, the issue of non-compliance, or better termed, non-adherence, is a continuing issue in health care. According to Barber, “if we can re-configure it to non-compliance and adapt it to remove terminology that may be a barrier to its adoption, then this promises to be a significant advance in our understanding and solution of non-compliance” (Barber, 2002).
Resources:
Barber, N. (2002). Should we consider non-compliance a medical error? Quality and Safety in Health Care, 11(1), 81-84.
Falvo, D. R. (2011). Effective patient education: A guide to increased adherence (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Jones & Bartlett. ISBN: 9780763766252