Effective Communication in Midwifery

Effective Communication in Midwifery A discussion on how the midwife demonstrates her professional accountability through effective communication, including  an awareness of factors, which may contribute to poor communication.   Introduction The Nursing Midwifery Council (2004a, p. 17) in addressing the responsibilities and sphere of practice for midwives under Rule number 6 of their â€Å"Midwives rules and standards† brings forth the importance of communication by stating that midwives â€Å"Should work in partnership with the woman and her family† and â€Å"Should enable the woman to make decisions about her care based upon her individual needs, by discussing matters fully with her†. Rule number 6 adds that the midwife also â€Å"Should respect the woman’s right to refuse any advice given† (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2004a, p. 17). In furthering the roll of effective communication, Rule 7 under â€Å"Administration of medicines† as put forth by the Nursing Midwifery Council (2004a, p. 19) advises that â€Å"A midwife must respect the right of individuals to self-administer substances of their choice†. The preceding specifications have been brought forth as they help to set the foundational context for this examination, that seek to explore how the midwife demonstrates her professional accountability through effective communication, including an awareness of factors, which may contribute to poor communication. The Nursing Midwifery Council (2008a) under a document titled â€Å"The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives† begins its document by stating that â€Å"The people in your care must be able to trust you with their health and well-being†, and that in order for nurses and midwives â€Å"To justify that thrust †¦Ã¢â‚¬  they need to be able to conduct effective communication in a broad sphere of activities and actions. In elaborating upon the foregoing â€Å"The Code† adds that midwives need to â€Å"be open and honest† along with acting with integrity (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). The preceding means that they must and are accountable for their actions, means that accordingly that they must â€Å"†¦ treat people as individuals †¦Ã¢â‚¬  respecting their dignity, as well as acting â€Å"†¦ as an advocate for those in †¦Ã¢â‚¬  their care, aiding and assisting them in accessing â€Å"â⠂¬ ¦ relevant health and social care, information and support† (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). The importance of effective communication is further underscored in the dictates of â€Å"The Code† that states midwives must â€Å"Respect people’s confidentiality†, mandating that midwifes need to respect their patient’s â€Å"†¦ right to confidentiality†, informing them as to the â€Å"†¦ how and why information is shared †¦Ã¢â‚¬  among those providing for their care, and importantly, that midwifes â€Å"†¦ must disclose information †¦ (if they) †¦ believe someone may be at risk of harm †¦Ã¢â‚¬  in accordance with the law (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). The foregoing represents rules of ethics as well as conduct that provide the foundational understandings for the conduct of midwives. Importantly, the underpinning of the relationship between midwives and patients reside in collaboration. That communication means listening to their patients, along with responding â€Å"†¦ to their concerns and preferences†, and the support of their patients â€Å"†¦ in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health† (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). The critical facet of effective and ongoing communication and trust resides in the trust between patients and midwives, as this is the foundation of care. That foundation includes the respect as well as recognition of â€Å"†¦ the contribution that people make to their own care and well-being†, and sharing information, conversation and professional advice in a manner their patients can understand (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). The preceding means the meeting of language as well as communication needs, along with gaining consent before beginning any treatment or care programs to ensure patients are absolutely clear on what such entails (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). The preceding means that the patient’s right to either accept or decline care and or treatment is inherent in their rights, along with their being fully informed as well as involved in decisions as such relate to their care and treatment (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008a). Standards Effective communication and accountability in the conduct of duties as a midwife includes their relationship with their supervisors as well as doctors, hospitals and other staff, organisations. The foregoing was detailed in another document from the Nursing Midwifery Council (2007) titled â€Å"Standards for the supervised practice of midwives† whereby the important of communication and professional practice means that midwives need to maintain a communicative relationship with their supervisors and the aforementioned support staff to further their own development. In addition, midwifes need to be able to honestly evaluate their own performance to shore up areas that they are either weak or not proficient in (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2007). Communication goes to the heart of delivering effective care, as the patient needs to develop an ongoing rapport, and advise the midwife of all facets connected with their care ‘Prep’ stands for ‘post-registration education and practice’ that represents standards as well as guidance in the providing of care and practice that maintains high levels (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008b). Under the preceding, nurses and midwives are required to record continuing professional development, in compliance with standards and practice (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008b). One provision under this requirement is that midwives, as well as nurses, are required to be able to demonstrate their â€Å"†¦ ability to use appropriate communications, teaching and learning skills†. The importance of the preceding is that effective communication is stressed in every Nursing Midwifery Council (2008) document. The significance of the preceding is detailed in the Nursing Midwifery Council’s (2004b) document â€Å"Complaints about unfitness to practise: A guide for members of the public† that deals with allegations concerning care pr actice by midwives. This guide for patients indicates that issues concerning complaints encompasses â€Å"†¦ verbal abuse †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦ failure to provide adequate care †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦ concealing unsafe practice †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as key areas, all of which can potentially have their roots in poor communication between midwives and patients. Such instances can be avoided through proper and ongoing communication with patients in a professional manner that emanates from the beginning of the relationship, on through every meeting and or communication exchange. The scope of the preceding, communication, as an important facet in the professionalism and accountability of a midwife is contained in the Nursing Midwifery Council’s (2004c) â€Å"Reporting lack of competence: A guide for employers and managers† that states that one of the characteristics the indicates and or demonstrates a lack of competence includes a â€Å"†¦ difficulty in communicating with colleagues, patients or clients†, the â€Å"†¦ inability to work as apart of a team †¦Ã¢â‚¬ , and â€Å"†¦ poor judgement †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2004c). In looking at the foregoing, one can see that communication is either at the heart of, or a symptom. Further importance, as well as administrative recognition of communication as a core foundational aspect in the practice of midwifery is contained in the Nursing Midwifery Council’s (2004d) â€Å"Reporting unfitness to practise: A guide for employers and managers† that states that fitness to practise might be impaired by a â€Å" persistent lack of ability in properly identifying care needs and accordingly planning and delivering appropriate care†. Accountability and Communication The critical nature of health care delivery entails listening and communicating with patients as an active and ongoing dialogue. The critical nature of effective communication as well as accountability and the ramifications of poor communication skills can be a result of the creation of a non-harmonious rapport with the patient that results in misunderstood communication concerning the methods of care and or options open to them, as well as a host of associated factors. In a document as prepared by the Nursing Midwifery Council’s (2008c), listening to patient concerns regarding their care is the first of a list of areas that includes the creation of an â€Å"†¦ environment that facilitates effective communication †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The emphasis on communication is paramount in the health care profession (Ellingson, 2002). In a study conducted Catherine McCabe (2004, pp. 41-49) she starts her report advising â€Å"Patient centred communication is a basic component †¦ and facilitates the development of a positive nurse-patient relationship †¦ (that) †¦ results in the delivery of quality †¦ care†. Her study uncovered that a lack of communication, along with empathy were two of the most cited reasons by patients in complaints about their health care delivery. The diversity that exists in the UK makes the subject of effective communication even more compelling. Language, educational, believe systems, unsureness and or suspicions regarding the role and or competence of midwifes, tales involving others negative experiences with midwives, as well as a host of other factors represent impediments to the profession that a midwife needs to be aware and cognizant of in establishing contact with a patient, and developing an atmosphere of trust and confidence (Devries et al, 2001). Conclusion In an article published by Medical News Today (2007), it stated that the NMC Code â€Å"†¦ requires each nurse and midwife to act at all times in a such a manner as to justify public trust and confidence†. The article went on to add that â€Å"Nurses and midwifes are personally accountable for their practice †¦Ã¢â‚¬  stating that their professional accountability requires them to â€Å"†¦ work in an open and co-operative manner with patients and their families †¦Ã¢â‚¬  recognising patient input and involvement in their care and health planning (Medical News Today, 2007). While the bulk of this study has focuses on the midwives communication with their patients, which is the core of their responsibilities in their profession, as members of a team, midwives also must exercise and exhibit effective communication with their peers and administrative bodies as well. Supervisors are an important part of this process in that they are there to assist and help midwives stay abreast of new developments, evaluate and aid them in enhancing their care delivery as well as being working partners in the midwife / patient relationship (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008d). The supervisory practice aids midwifes in their accountability, as well as assisting them in their potential or real communication issues with patients, and stand as an aid in the process. Their role in the effective monitoring of midwifes is in the interests of the public as well as the midwife, through their ongoing monitoring of midwives (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2008d). Jones and Symon (2000, p. 27) point to the preceding as being one of the strengths of the profession in the UK, â€Å"†¦the statutory supervision of midwives†. They state that the system’s priorities are the assisting of midwives in the assessment of their own needs, as well as those of their patients, maintaining the adherence to the Code as their guide (Jones and Symon, 2000, p. 27). The preceding is referred to as ethics that represents the role of midwives, their supervisors and the entire structure of health care that is in the public trust. The aforementioned layer of accountability has been established to oversee midwives as well as provide them with a framework to foster communications with patients, and also provide patients with a structure as well. Good communication, as stated throughout this study, wards off potential issues and problems, and is the cornerstone in establishing effective care for the midwife and patient. Its importance cannot be over emphasised, as miscommunication in health care can have consequences that are life threatening. Bibliography Devries, R., Wrede, S., Teijlingen, E., Benoit, C. (2001) Birth by Design: Pregnancy, Maternity Care, and Midwifery in North America and Europe. Routledge. London, United Kingdom Ellingson, L. (2002) Communication, Collaboration, and Teamwork among Health Care Professionals. Vol. 21, No. 3. Communication Research Trends Jones, S., Symon, A. (2000) Ethics in Midwifery. Mosby Publishers. Edinbergh McCabe. C. (2004) Nurse-patient communication: an exploration of patient’s experiences. Vol. 13, No. 1. Journal of Clinical Nursing Medical news Today (2007) Resuscitation of Patients, UK. 1 November 2007. Medical News Today Nursing Midwifery Council (2004b) Complaints about unfitness to practise: A guide for members of the public. Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom Nursing Midwifery Council (2004a) Midwives rules and standards. Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom Nursing Midwifery Council (2008d) Modern supervision in action: a practical guide for midwives. Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom Nursing Midwifery Council (2004c) Reporting lack of competence: A guide for employers and managers. London, United Kingdom Nursing Midwifery Council (2004d) Reporting unfitness to practise: A guide for employers and managers. Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom Nursing Midwifery Council’s (2008c) Support for parents: How supervision and Supervisors of Midwives can help you. Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom The Nursing Midwifery Council (2008a) The Code Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwifes. The Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom Nursing Midwifery Council (2008b) The Prep handbook. Nursing Midwifery Council. London, United Kingdom

Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Avoidance of Prophecy :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Avoidance of Prophecy in Oedipus Rex    Oedipus Rex illustrates the Greek concept that trying to circumvent prophetsÕ predictions is futile. The play includes three main prophecies: the one made to Laius concerning his death by the hands of his son, a similar one directed to Oedipus, and one made by Tiresias foretelling OedipusÕ discovery of the murdererÕs identity. Both recipients of these oracles attempt to avoid their destinies, but both wind up following the paths which the Fates have prescribed. Laius had received a prophesy which declares Ã’that doom would strike him at the hands of [his] son....Ó Jocasta, in an attempt to ease OedipusÕ worries, endeavors to defame prophesy in general by describing LaiusÕ apparent circumvention of the augury. When LaiusÕ son wasnÕt yet three days old, the king had the infantÕs ankles fastened together, and then gave the boy to a henchman to be flung onto Ã’a barren, trackless mountainÓ; Jocasta believes her son dead. Laius had believed that by killing his only son, he would be able to avoid the oracleÕs prediction. However, the shepherd entrusted with the terrible task of infanticide pitied the baby and gave him to another shepherd, who, in turn, donated the child to the King and Queen of Corinth. The boy, Oedipus, was raised as the son of King Polybus and Queen Merope, and still believes himself to be their issue even as Jocasta relates the ironic story of his own previous Ã’death.Ó Oedipus, of course, finds out that it was indeed his own, true father, Laius, that he has killed at the crossroads at Phocis. LaiusÕ attempt at foiling fate didnÕt work; Oedipus killed him because of a slight insult. Because Laius felt to shameful to kill the infant himself, he took a risk in hoping that his loyal shepherd would murder the child for him. That risk allowed Oedipus to live and, therefore, to kill his own father without knowing his true identity. Had Laius not attempted to have his newborn 1 killed, the boy still would have caused his fatherÕs death somehow, because the oracles are never wrong, and most Greeks realize thereÕs no way to escape fate. Oedipus also tries to avoid his fate, which he had received from ApolloÕs oracle at Delphi. While Oedipus lived as Prince of Corinth, a drunken

The Old, Bald, Toothless Angel

The supposed angel in the story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez differs from the usual conception of angels with the following characteristics: its physical appearance, its effect upon the community, and the paranormal occurrences of its presence. The usual conception on the images of angels are romanticized – images of blonde children with small, white wings and rosy cheeks. However, the ‘angel’ in Marquez’s story is described as an old man, dirty, smelly, and possesses rotting wings. â€Å"He was dressed like a ragpicker. There were only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouth, and his pitiful condition of a drenched great-grandfather had taken away any sense of grandeur he might have had. His huge buzzard wings, dirty and half-plucked, were forever tangled in mud† (Marquez, 387). In addition, the use of the word ‘enormous’ used to described the old man’s wings are strewn with mud and rotting, full of small insects and parasites. The characters in the story immediately perceive the old man to be a fallen angel, because of the state of his wings. Also, the enormity of the wings give emphasis on Marquez use of the magic realism genre in the story. The shape and size of the wings may be exaggerated in a realistic point of view but the use of enormous gives the reader a more realistic approach to the old man. It also presents an ordinary experience on part of the characters – since Pelayo and Elisenda did not express shock of the old man’s appearance but of his condition – lying in the mud and in a downcast state. As the story revolves on the theme of magical realism, the characters in the story do not express shock over the old man’s appearance. They exhibit behaviour as though they see kinds of magical creatures often in their lives. Indeed, the first reaction of the couple is more a contradiction toward the whole theme of the story – a realistic perspective. They deduced that the old man may be a castaway from a ship across the sea that was wrecked by some storm. They based their judgement when they tried to ask the old man and responded in a strong sailor’s voice with a foreign dialect. However, the couple was not convinced and decided to ask a woman who had experience with such matters. The old woman needed only a glance and immediately concluded that the old man was an angel sent to take the couple’s ailing child (Marquez, 388). Thus, the themes of magic and realism come together from different point of views. The old man’s effect on the community, upon hearing the suggestion of the old woman, also became magical in one point. As exhibited by the behaviour of the townspeople in the story, they immediately associate the angel with various miracles and scenarios – that the angel was sent to be the leader of the world, to be a five star general in order to end wars, and such. The angel is also viewed by the community not as a supernatural creature but rather as a circus animal. After all the commotion the old man brought to the community, the couple decided to charge a fee for everybody who wanted to see the angel. Its popularity declined when a circus act visited the town with a spider-lady as its main attraction. The people favored the spider-woman over the angel as the spider had a personal story on why she turned to such while the angel did nothing but sit on the chicken coop. Marquez presents an alternative conception of the angel – that the spider, with all its grotesquery and exhibiting usual emotions like pain and emotional suffering, greatly amused the people rather than an old, mute angel rotting in its place. People favored amusement, even if the object is supernatural in nature. Apart from this, Marquez presents the angel to be a mere object of interest for only a limited time until the townspeople shifted their attention toward the spider. Angels are often regarded to be holy beings, that are capable of miracles, and provides ‘good’ in people’s lives. But the angel in the story remains isolated from the community and only act as though he had no care of his condition. His characteristics were also a downfall toward the perception of the community – he was old, toothless, with rotting wings and a pronounced stench. Even though the old man was first conceived as an angel, people did not pay the same amount of attention compared to the spider-woman, who exhibited an emotional plight that greatly amused the people. The paranormal presence of the angel did not stir bewilderment on the characters of the story – instead they presented keen interest and ill-disguised curiosity. Also, their immediate association of the old man as a universal solution to all their worldly-problems became the definitive character of the angel. Yet, they did not bother to place the angel in greater prominence, as they ignored him until one day, he grew new wings and began to fly toward the ocean horizon. The disappearance of the angel also coincided with the growth of Pelayo and Elisenda’s child, and deduced that the angel took away the child’s sickness. And because of the fee they charged to see the angel, the couple became rich from their profits. Marquez persuades the reader into a personal interpretation of the old man – just like the people in the story. He presents the old man with its characteristics and it is up to the reader to decide whether it is an angel or not. However, Marquez also utilizes several peculiar situations and characteristics that coincide with the angel’s presence in the story. His enormous wings is the main point. It appears as though it was nothing out of the extraordinary; that the characters in the story were accustomed to seeing wings deeply implanted in a person’s structure. Also, as the angel grew another set of wings, it could have been assumed that it would resemble the pearly-white color of a real angel but the old man’s wings were that of a scarecrow (Marquez, 392). Marquez leaves room for interpretation on the part of the reader as to what the old man really is. He presents a wholly different perspective of an angel, as presented by the examples of the people in which the old revolved upon. It may be an angel or just an old, toothless man with enormous wings.

The Middle Ages - 1747 Words

Luiz Gustavo Machado Mrs. Phillips British Literature 6 January 2016 The English Middle Ages The middle ages (1066-1485) is known as the Dark ages for representing cultural and economic deterioration following the decline of the exuberant Roman Empire. However, a variety of important events that took place in that period, mainly in England, helped shape society as we know it today. Feudalism was created in the middle ages with the king at the top of military, political, and economic hierarchy, nobles owning the land, and peasants, or vassals working on the land. Living conditions were hard in general, but life was especially hard for peasants. The crusades marked the period with knights sent to Jerusalem to fight against Muslims, demonstrating the immense power of the Roman Chaotic Church, in all areas of people’s lives. The Black Death, or bubonic plague, was also a relevant event that killed one third of the population of western Europe. The British middle ages influenced the development of society through the politics, the religion, and the literature of the era. Politics was a key factor in the development of England in the middle ages. For example, the impact of the new political regime when the Normans conquered England. The Normans (1066-1154) and the Angevins (1154-1399) created political institutions that set England apart from the rest of Europe (â€Å"England†). Henry II was the first Angevin king of England and Richard I, the lionhearted, was his son who went inShow MoreRelatedThe Middle Ages : The Age Of The Middle Ages830 Words   |  4 PagesMiddle Ages The middle ages are described as 1,000-year period. The 1,000 years are marked from the moment Costantine, the Roman Emperor, made Christianity an official religion of the empire. People saw the middle ages as an â€Å"in between† period in time. 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