In A Student’s Words… By Joshua
Can You Hear Me?
Communication is essential in all aspects of life, especially in healthcare. The patient has to be able to communicate his/her needs and complaints, and the healthcare provider has to communicate the steps needed to be taken in order to correct what is wrong with the patient. When a patient has difficulty communicating, providing the proper treatment to him/her becomes very tricky. I have worked with a few patients that were very hard of hearing, requiring me to essentially yell into their ear to communicate with them, and sometimes they still couldn’t hear what I was saying. As a physical therapist, it is hard to perform an evaluation to determine exactly what the patient requires in therapy, and a chart review only goes so far. Having family members there to give information about the patient is helpful, but family is not always present. I, along with most individuals, rely on verbal communication way too much and I feel almost helpless when verbal communication breaks down with patients.
- Joshua, University of Oklahoma DPT 2011
