Ouch

At uni I've being doing this subject that is focused on inter-professional communication between the different health professionals to try and achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. In modern healthcare, many different health professionals need to work with the same patient on the same health issue either in the hospital or in community settings. Research has indicated that many health professionals have a limited or inaccurate understanding of what other health professionals actually do, meaning that patients are often not referred to the most appropriate services. Also, different health disciplines use different jargon, so miscommunication often occurs inadvertently between different disciplines compromising patient care. 

 

The woman who runs the lectures is a passionate, zany and terrifying woman. She has this highly idealistic view of this subject and thinks that we need two hour tutorials to discuss what she seems to think is ground breaking information. She seems to think we are passive vessels of the world around us who never stop to think analyse anything. 

Today, for instance, she thought we would be completely blown away by the fact that depending on the severity of the disability, many people with cerebral palsy can live meaningful and very independent lives. She doesn't seem to understand that my generation have grown up having so many awareness campaigns about so many conditions thrown at us that we don't hold the same assumptions and judgements about health as previous ones.

She also resembles Regina George from Mean Girl's mum in a very specific way. She is a woman in her fifties who has a less than appropriate dress sense for a professional job like being an academic. She is very bizarre and she is starting to be referred to as "nips" by the student body...

Anyway...

Today we were looking at the WHO ICF framework for planning multidisciplinary patient care. A lot what we talk about in this subject is to do with respecting patients' beliefs, views and values and working with the whole person's life to achieve the best outcomes. To simplify it right down, if you work look at the whole person's life when treating a patient and put the outcomes they desire at the centre of their care, you are more likely to see a favourable outcome. In other words, don't just look at "fixing" the biological condition, look at how the condition effects how they do their job, interact with friends and family or feel about their role in society, etc, if you address the things that matter to a patient in their care, you can help them live the life they want to lead and they are more likely to heed professional advice.

Helping people is hard. In my two and a half weeks of studying health, it seems that that is a universal truth whether you are professionally trained to help or not.

I have been trying pretty hard to reach out to someone in my life who seems to want help. I want this person to get more enjoyment out of their life and after talking through some pretty tough issues that person seems to be avoiding me. It is the reality whether you are trying to help someone professionally or personally, it is challenging when that help is rejected. 

It hurts hurts because I've really made an effort to reach out to this person and tried very hard to support them and now out of the blue, after so many expressions of appreciation, I'm apparently no longer required or desirable. 

I'm trying not to take it too personally and keep in the forefront of my mind that I want this person to feel better, whether that involves me or not. I can't help but question whether I've done something to offend or upset this person but I don't think that's likely, given the nature of our interactions. I have to try and respect that in the same way that a patient can chose not to engage with health care based on beliefs I may not share, a friend can chose at any time to no longer accept the support they were once grateful for.