Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Communication 

Communication
Chapter:
Communication
Author(s):

Rebecca Allwood

and Rowan H. Harwood

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0021

July 29, 2020: This chapter has been re-evaluated and remains up-to-date. No changes have been necessary.

Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2020. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 21 October 2020

Communication is part of everyday experience, and may be overlooked as a professional skill. However, it is central to healthcare practice. Working with older people can challenge our ability to communicate because of speech, sensory, and cognitive changes related to age or disease, environment, relationships, or social factors. The means our mechanisms of communication must be understood, and problems addressed, in order to enable adequate communication. Multiple sources (such as family members or professional staff) may need to be approached to ascertain full information, and to engage and include important stakeholders in a person’s care. Communication is required in making diagnoses, understanding problems, giving information, including imparting distressing news, delivering care, making decisions, and defusing conflict. Approaching these situations in the right way can improve the experience for patients and their families, maximize satisfaction with the consultation, and improve clinical outcomes.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.