The genesis of sensitive communication. Patient experience as an educational resource and a source of knowledge

Abstract

Objectives The paper presents the genesis of sensitive communication - the type of communication that should be learned and used in helping professions towards charges experiencing loss, tragedy, violence, death, mourning. Material and methods In the years 2001-2019, research (interviews, observations, surveys) was conducted among the parents of deceased children, as well as paramedics, doctors, nurses and midwives of Wrocław and Warsaw hospitals. On their basis, a communication protocol BROTHER - how to inform parents about the death of a child. Results The protocol is used in neonatal departments, and since 2018 it has been used in ambulances as a pocket card. It is to be used as a standard of medical care throughout Poland. Its effectiveness seems to be the result of developing it based on the patient experience, who indicated what helped them and what they lacked in a painful interaction with a professional. Police officers, clergymen, teachers, journalists, etc., come for similar communication tools. Conclusions The article concludes that patients should be recognized as natural teachers of supporting communication in the education of medical staff, and shows the places and ways of using their experience.

Keywords

• helping profession
• patient experience
• breaking bad news
• sensitive communication
• brother protocol