Week 5 2019

Barriers to Effective
Communication
Overview of today’s session

1) Barriers to effective communication

-What are communication barriers?
-What kind of barriers to communication exist?
-How can we prevent or overcome communication
barriers?
3) Communication Quiz in Week 7 – Q & A
 Ensuring the message gets across

‘The single biggest problem in communication is the

illusion that it has taken place’
George Bernard Shaw
Group Work – 15 minutes

In pairs:
•Consider under which circumstances it may be
difficult to communicate effectively.
•Consider some of the barriers to effective
communication from both the practitioner’s and
the patient’s or client’s perspective.
•What can you do to overcome these barriers?
Difficult Circumstances
The client or patient may:
•Be physically and/or mentally unwell
•Be embarrassed
•Be frightened
•Not understand processes, the system, the language or words
used
•Be very upset
•Be very angry
•Be communicating through an interpreter
Poor interaction
The client or patient may:
•Be distracted, day dreaming or asleep
•Ignore the message
•Make no response
•Not make eye contact
•Not be able to see, hear or speak
•Not speak English
•Not have an appropriate interpreter or
advocate
Physical barriers

•Security screens

•Physical arrangement of a room

e.g. health and safety to ensure
easy access; sitting behind a
desk
Barriers to effective communication
From the client or patient perspective:
•Lack of time (real or perceived)
•Fear (of professionals, of pain or dying, of what might be
asked to do)
•Lack of understanding
•Different health beliefs
•Unrealistic expectations of service
•Inadequate communication skills
•Aggressive attitude
Barriers to effective communication
From the Practitioner Perspective:
•Lack of time (real or perceived)
•Inadequate information (lost notes or computer not working)
•Inadequate verbal communication skills- eg. talking too much,
use of closed questions, not able to understand or relate to
client, language barriers
•Inadequate non-verbal skills – e.g. Arms crossed, fiddling with a
pen, gazing around room, not making eye contact
Barriers contd.

From the Practitioner Perspective:

•Attitudinal problems – boredom, lack of interest,
burn-out, stress, fatigue, difficulty coping with
threats to competence

•Poor recovery from previous stressful interaction or

meeting or, own life events
Preventing and Overcoming Barriers
Revisit the role of the sender:
•Understand who you are communicating with
•Formulate the message clearly – what is the best method to use?
•Use of appropriate language; speak slowly/clearly; communication aids
•Breaking information up into manageable sections; remove
distractions, turn TV or radio down or off; move to a quiet space
•Check the message has been received;
•Check the message has been understood;
•Answer questions;
•Restate or reformulate the message
Hugman (2009)
Preventing and Overcoming Barriers

Revisit the role of the receiver:

•Pay attention
•Check or question information,
•Clarify any ambiguities
•Confirm that you understand the message
Checking the message
A health care practitioner has just explained a patient’s medicine
HCP: ‘Ok, Do you think that’s clear?’
Patient: ‘Yes, thanks’
HCP: ‘Can you just tell me what you think I’ve said, so I can be sure that I’ve not left
anything out?’
Patient: ‘Take 2 of these [drug name] three times a day after eating. One of these
[drug name] before going to bed. Stop taking the herbal tablets. Come back to see
you if I get a bad headache or feel sick.’
HCP: ‘Yes, and if anything worries you about the medication come back
straightaway.’
Asking for a repetition to check that the HCP has included all information rather
than checking on the patient’s attention is an effective and diplomatic technique.
Adapted from Hugman (2009)
Self assessment of skills

•Time allocation for communication

•Planning our communication
•Do we have the right skills?
•Do we need further education and training
•Consider filming an interaction, with
permission and studying individual behaviour
and actions
Code of Conduct (SfC/SfH 2013)

We have a responsibility to:

“Communicate in an open, and effective way to

promote the health, safety and wellbeing of
people who use health and care services and
their carers.”
Skills for Care and Skills for Health (2013;7)
Feedback and Conclusions

•Be more aware of barriers which can hinder

everyday communication
•Seek solutions to overcome barriers
•Reflect on individual communication and try to
learn from this reflection- What could you do
differently? What skills do you need to improve on?
Short film clips to watch and critique
1. Poor Communication (3 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1RY_72O_LQ
>>>Identify the poor communication

2. The Two Ronnies – Four Candles (6 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0TCeOjJ5rY
>>>Think about what we hear.
Week 7 Communication Quiz
• First of three summative assessments – counts for 20% of total module mark
• Aim to test knowledge and understanding of key communication concepts and
skills covered in sessions 1 through 6
• Online, Weblearn-based multiple-choice quiz (test) – There is NO class on
March 21 and you do NOT have to come to University to do the test unless you
anticipate problems with internet access on the day
• The test lasts exactly 1 hour; it starts promptly at 11:00 and finishes at 12:00
on Thursday 21 March (Weblearn will automatically open/close your access to
the test)
• The passing mark is 40% (i.e. in order to pass this test you need to answer a
minimum of 8 questions correct).
• Students who fail this test are entitled to retake the test in July 2019.
• Please note that all resits/resubmissions will be capped at 40%.
Week 7 Communication Quiz cont.
The quiz is based on:
• 20 multiple-choice questions
• Depending on the question,
there will be either 4 or 5
answer choices
• All questions weigh equally
• There is only one correct
answer to each question
• There is no penalty for incorrect
answers
An example of a multiple choice question with
4 answer choices (answer B selected by clicking
on circle with the computer mouse):
Question 1. What is the maximum
duration of time an IV bag of solution
can be infused into a patients?
о A) 6 hours
● B) 12 hours
о C) 18 hours
о D) 24 hours
Week 7 Communication Quiz cont.
• Once you have submitted your test (i.e. completed all 20 questions),
there are three kinds of immediate results (feedback) available to you:

-First, you can see your mark or percentage (this is shown as the
‘Attempted score’ e.g. you need 80 out of 200 points or 40% to pass the
test).
-Second, you can scroll down the results page to view your (selected)
answer to each question.
-Third, correct answer to each question is also highlighted in order for
you to compare with your own answers.
For next week (Week )...
• Prepare for the Online test on Thursday 21 March:

• Revise lecture materials and key readings for Weeks 1 through 6

• Log onto Weblearn and familiarise yourself with the online
environment e.g. location of the ‘Online Assessment’ folder
• Print out and read carefully the test instructions >>> these will be
announced via Weblearn later this afternoon (a PDF copy will also be
available in a special folder within the ‘Online Assessment’ folder)
• Keep a hard copy of the test instructions next to you when you do
the test!
>>>Do not leave doing the above until the last minute! <<<