Chapter 2: Therapeutic Communication

• Empathy: The ability to understand another's perspective, experiences, or motivations.
• Adherence: The act of sticking to something.
• Nonverbal Communication: A type of communication that occurs through body language, and expressive behaviors rather than with verbal or written words.
• Dignity: The inherent worth or state of being worthy of respect.
• Compassion: Having a deep awareness of the suffering of another and the wish to ease it.
• Diversity: The differences and similarities in identity, perspective, and points of view among people.
• Poised: Having a composed and self-assured manner.
• Rapport: A relationship of harmony and accord between the patient and the healthcare professional.
• Respect: To show consideration or appreciation for another person.
• Stress: A condition that causes physical and/or emotional tension.
• Communication: Exchange of information, feelings, and thoughts between two or more people using spoken words or other methods.
• Therapy Communication: A process of communicating with patients and family members in healthcare.
• Hierarchy: Things are arranged in order or rank, with the most important things at the top.
• Defense Mechanism: Unconcious mental processes that processes that protect people from anxiety, loss, conflict, or shame.
• Coping Mechanism: Behavioral and psychological strategies used to deal with or minimize stressful events.
• First impressions require an appropriate physical appearance or dress, attitude, compassion, and therapeutic communication skills.
• Culture: Includes the general customs, norms, values, and beliefs held by a group of people.
• Race: Relates to a group of people who have the same physical characteristics.
• Nationality: Pertains to the country where the person was born and holds citizenship.
• Ethnicity: Relates to a common ancestry, culture, religion, traditions, nationality, and language shared by a group of people.
• Social Factors: All the ways a person is different from others (lifestyle, religion, tastes, and preferences).
• Showing respect as a healthcare professional consists of smiling, making eye contact, being courteous, sincere, polite, welcoming, using a calm tone of voice, and proper grammar without slang.
• Rate: Refers to the speed at which the speaker talks.
• Clarity: Relates to the quality of the voice.
• Volume: Refers to the loudness of the speakers' voice
• Pitch: Includes the highness and lowness of the voice
• Tone: Describes the emotion in the voice
• Intonation: Describes the melodic pattern or the pitch variation.
• Pronunciation: Pertains to how the word is said
• When medical assistants talk with patients, they should be 1.5 to 4 feet away from the patients, which is considered a casual personal space.
• When medical assistants perform procedures on patients, they are 0 to 1.5 feet away from patients, which is considered the intimate/ personal space.
• A person will move backward if they want to increase the space between themselves and other people.
• Two types of verbal communication include written and oral communication.
• Communication Cycle: The sender creates the message, the receiver decodes the message, receiver creates the feedback, sender decodes the feedback.
• We decode messages based on personal factors and subjective perceptions.
• Passive Communicator: A person who does not speak or express their thoughts, feelings, and allows others to infringe on their rights.
• Aggressive Communicator: A person tries to dominate others and may glare, frown, and purposefully invade others' personal space.
• Passive-Aggressive Communicators: People who deny problems and may speak in a sugary sweet voice, look innocent, and pretend to be warm and friendly.
• Manipulative Communicators: A cunning person who tries to control others, and may be demeaning or condescending.
• Assertive Communicators: Someone who uses a medium pitch, speed, and volume of voice and positive, open nonverbal behaviors.