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Crisis Management for Paramedics

Crisis Management for Paramedics. Week 1 Fundamentals of Communication & Therapeutic Approach Concepts of Crisis & Stress. Service. You all stated you want to help people and that you are people persons...so here is your chance to “shine”

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Crisis Management for Paramedics

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  1. Crisis Management for Paramedics Week 1 Fundamentals of Communication & Therapeutic Approach Concepts of Crisis & Stress

  2. Service • You all stated you want to help people and that you are people persons...so here is your chance to “shine” • Patients deserve our best efforts at service – they are the reason we exist • What the “S” in EMS stands for

  3. Effective Communication • External Factors • Look the part of a professional • Pay attention to you appearance • Inspire respect

  4. Consider the following: • How does communication occur? • What are the components of communication • How do we as care givers attempt to communicate with people in crisis and what can hinder the communication

  5. CommunicationTherapeutic Approach What is communication? • The exchange of common symbols • Written, spoken, signing and body language • Basic elements: the sender, the message and the receiver

  6. Verbal Voice quality, diction, pitch, rate of speech and volume • Body language • Provide your undivided attention • LISTEN

  7. Successful communication occurs if, by way of the response, the sender believes that the message was received accurately

  8. Effective listening • An active skill • Requires complete attention • Focus on the messenger • Never finish the other person’s sentence • Do not consider your response until the other person has finished speaking • Requires practice!! **

  9. Remember: A good communicator needs patience and flexibility!

  10. Trust and Rapport • There is a certain amount of trust implied in being a paramedic • You need to earn the trust • First you establish the trust, then the rapport follows. • With good rapport the person you are helping will follow your lead

  11. Developing Rapport • Introduce yourself and your partner • Address the patient formally – Mr., Mrs., etc. • Use the patient’s name ** • Get to the level of the patient • Use a professional but compassionate tone of voice • Explain what you are doing and why

  12. Nonverbal communication skills • Eye contact • Touch and Gentleness • Posture • Demeanour/Smile • Important to look at your patient’s body language

  13. Eye contact • Can be a very powerful source of effective communication • Take your sunglasses off!! • Can be very important in tense or difficult situations • Remember, eye contact means the patient is looking at you!

  14. Compassionate touch • The holding of a hand, touch of an arm or shoulder • May be awkward at first – watch for response • May help to calm the patient • Be careful to touch appropriately – consider the patient’s age, gender, cultural background and current setting

  15. Posture • Gestures, mannerisms and postures by which a person communicates with others • Includes distance between you and the patient, whether you are at eye level or not and your stance

  16. Demeanour & Therapeutic Smile • Pleasant demeanour absolutely necessary when you are dealing with people in crisis – they need to feel safe and assured that you can help • Smile – can send the message that all will be well but consider the crisis

  17. Interviewing Techniques

  18. Questioning • Use open-ended questions • Use closed questions only when necessary • Ask only one question at a time • Listen to the patient’s complete response before asking the next question • Use language the patient can understand • Do not ask leading questions

  19. Payoff Questions • Have you felt like this before? • Have you been upset about anything lately? • Are you afraid of someone? [save this one for the privacy of the ambulance] • Have you been thinking about hurting yourself? • What happened the last time you felt this way?

  20. Strategies to Elicit Useful Responses to Questions • Facilitate the response • Be quiet - never miss a good opportunity to shut up • Clarify the response • Redirect the response • Interpret the response • Simplify and summarize the response

  21. Common Interviewing Errors • Assume Nothing • Giving Medical advice • Providing false hope • Assuming excessive authority • Sidestepping the truth • Distancing yourself from patients as people

  22. Assessing Mental StatusObserving the patient • Appropriate Humour • Timing of Responses to Questions • Memory • Ability to obey simple Commands

  23. Unique interview situations • People who are unmotivated to talk • People who are hostile • People who are very old OR very young • People who live with special challenges • Cross cultural communications • Manners, gestures and body language • Cultural sensitivity and cultural diversity

  24. How does failure to communicate occur? • Prejudice – do not paint all with the same brush • Lack of empathy • Lack of Privacy • External distractions • Internal Distractions

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