Patient Presents
Patient History
Physical Exam
Follow-up Conference
Test Results
Rheumatology Referral
Referral Results
Medical Treatment
Self-Management Skills
• Coping and Stress
• Physical Activity
• Managing Medications
• Nutrition
• Alternative Health Care
• Benefits of Self-Management
Patient's Perspective
Review
CEU Exam
References
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Self-Management Skills
Communication
Communication includes all the different people and situations an individual may encounter on a daily basis. For a person with a chronic illness such as lupus a typical day may include family, friends, employer and health care team. Some simple tips may help Mrs. Evan in her daily encounters.
- Effective communication involves more than one person.
- Be clear and concise.
- Use "I" messages. "I feel..."
- Acknowledge the other person and his/her message.
- If clarification is needed, ask the person to rephrase what was said or rephrase what the person said.
- Non-verbal communication sends an important message.
- Humor is sometimes useful when a conversation goes in the wrong direction. Knowing when to use humor is important.
A patient should learn to communicate effectively with members of the health care team. The patient needs to get his/her message across to the health care professional in the limited time available. The patient can practice this by using a Communication Action Plan.
This plan should be something the patient wants to do and it should answer important points he/she want to make during the appointment with the health care professional.
| Where (location): | At my next appointment with my physician. |
| When (time of day): | Next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. |
| How often (days of week): | One day each week I will summarize how I feel and concerns I need to communicate at my next appointment. |
| What (message do I want to communicate): | To narrow my information to give to the doctor to my three most important issues to be addressed during my appointment. |
| Fall back plan (what to do if ...): | If I am unable to complete my list on Friday each week, I will jot a reminder on my appointment calendar for the following Monday morning. |
| How sure (0 - 10 see scale below*): | 8 |
* This rating scale helps you determine how certain you are that you can accomplish your plan. 0 = I cannot do this plan and 10 = I am sure I can do this plan.
"On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being totally uncertain and 10 being totally certain, how sure am I that I can accomplish this plan?" If your score is below 7, ask yourself how you can change the plan to make it achievable. If your score is 7 or above, this represents a realistic plan.
A form of this plan can be used for any area of self-management in which a person has a desire to improve his/her skills.
School of Health Professions
University of Missouri-Columbia
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Last Update: Aug 29 2006