Communication Theory
Luz Hutchinson
University of Phoenix
HCS 320 Health Care Communication Strategies
Professor Paul Wing
March 22, 2011
Having been employed in an establishment such as that of a hospital, effective communication is definitely one of the very important aspects with regard to the care of the patients. As in any health care setting, an organization established to hospital care may stand in front of challenges when it come to communication for the reason that of gender and cultural differences, and in some cases the lack of ability to communicate effectively with the individuals obtaining service. Circumstances such as ...view middle of the document...
According to DuPre (2005), “Studies do indicate some general differences and similarities, however. Female tend to be more nonverbally expressive in health care situations, talk more than men, engage in more partnership-building behaviors, and reveal more personal information about themselves” (p. 144). Because females in general tend to be more well-read about health care issues it is easier for females versus that of males to ask health-related questions to the patient or family.
In some cases, males may not communicate effectively with patients, family members, and other employees because they are not open to sharing certain aspects of their lives, nor do they tend to express themselves emotionally, and in some cases do not care to initiate the beginning of conversation. According to McKee (1996), “Women like to talk about personal things; Men are less willing to self-disclose. Women want to elaborate during discussions and often complain men don’t listen. Men want to solve the problem—to fix it, not talk about it” (p. 1). In addition, unlike that of female employees, males at times may have issues concerning someone taking care of them or being taken care of by the opposite sex. For example, when working with a male employee a female patient may not fully feel at ease expressing certain details about one’s condition to a male, which can cause a gap in communication between both parties. Though males at times have a harder time communicating, there are instances such as when talking to another coworker or manager a male employee contributes greatly concerning communication because important information needs to be shared. Although gender can take part in how one communicates with others in a hospital setting, cultural differences also can be an issue for all those involved.
What had been observed at this particular health care organization that because of cultural differences many issues did arise affecting how the patients, employees and families did communicate with each other. According to DuPre (2005), “It is especially difficult to ensure that patients are fully informed concerning their medical options when the patients and their caregivers speak different languages. Nearly 25 million adults in the United States do not speak English proficiently. Non-English speakers are less satisfied with medical care than are Caucasians or members of ethnic and racial minorities” (p. 149). In a health care setting, cultural differences can impact how communication is established, which at times can lead to issues of miscommunication and misunderstandings between a patient and his or her care providers.
Communication within an organization such as this is extremely important factor for billing purposes, treatment, and trust. When cultural differences arise it may be very complicated to know how exactly to treat an individual’s condition. For example,...
