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Table 1 Communication Care Plan

From: Patient-centred communication intervention study to evaluate nurse-patient interactions in complex continuing care

How to communicate with patient

How patient communicates

To help her understand you:

-has aphasia and some visual field impairment; ↓ attention to right side

- give her time to process what you’ve said

-understands short and more complicated instructions but needs ++ time to respond

To help her express herself:

- has limited speech; has hesitations and incomplete sentences; benefits from time to get her message out

-verify her yes/no responses (use the yes/no sheet in the kit; have her point to yes/no)

- her yes/no answers are not always accurate

-wears glasses for reading

- ask her to point or gesture if she can’t say what she wants to express

-can read/understand written words and simple sentences; often needs to re-read to understand better

-or- give her written choices to point to (use the whiteboard in the kit)

-can write letters, numbers and simple words

-or-ask her to write a word or the first few letters of a word if she can’t say it (use the whiteboard in the kit)

-make sure she’s wearing her reading glasses if using written cues

-give her time to express herself

Keep materials and written cues on LEFT side.

 

What patient behaviours mean

Patient habits to know to avoid communication problems

-the words & phrases she repeats over and over may not be what she wants to say; use the strategies above to help her express herself.

- her communication is worse when she’s tired; discuss important issues when she’s rested.

-in general, she needs extra time to understand you and to express herself

-communication problems interfere with her family and social life

 

-can’t use the phone because she’s not understood