고령 환자 대상 의료 커뮤니케이션 교육의 방향 - 간호사와 고령 환자의 소통에 대한 인식을 중심으로 -

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception of difficulties in medical communication through interviews with nurses and elderly patients. The study also aimed to explore the direction of medical communication education for the elderly patients. In-depth interviews on the communication between nurses and elderly patients were conducted between August 4, 2020 and September 23, 2020 with the following participants: Ten nurses and eight patients aged 60 and above. Specifically, semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted. Through the analysis of the interviews it was confirmed that the nurses were aware of the difficulty in communicating with the elderly patients due to the pathological and dispositional characteristics of the elderly. Additionally it was confirmed that the nurses were using their own medical communication strategies to reduce cognitive differences in the elderly patients. On the other hand, the elderly patients had difficulty in understanding the explanation given by of the nurses and showed a passive reaction, such as silence, to the communication process as they recognized their weakness. It was also confirmed that the elderly patients were expecting sympathy from the medical staff. Based on the above results, the study determined the direction of practical and cooperative medical communication education methods according to two-way demands for effective medical communication with the elderly patients.