The use of different strategies can help improve communication between patients and healthcare providers. When communicating with patients with sensitive issues, the practitioner needs to consider strategies that decrease anxiety and improve the quality of data. The practitioner needs to reduce anxiety by using transparency, normalizing, asking permission, giving the patient an option of not answering, and addressing confidentiality issues.
Normalizing means that the practitioner tells the patient that other people also experience similar conditions, such as substance addiction. For example, the practitioner can use assumptions in framing questions where they say, ‘How many times do you have a drink’ instead of asking, ‘Do you take alcohol?’
Transparency is also another communication strategy. Transparency means that the practitioner explains the ‘taboo’ topic by telling the patient that they need to ask specific questions to help them. For example, when asking about substance abuse, the practitioner can tell the patient, ‘Now I will ask you questions regarding the number of times you consume an alcoholic drink to know how I will intervene.’
Specific close-ended questions are better because open-ended questions increase discomfort and anxiety. Offering the patient response choice eases anxiety. An example is asking a patient about the number of times that they use a condom while placing the options as ‘never, sometimes, always, almost always’ to determine their sexual behaviors.
Careful word choice also works to reduce anxiety. Asking for specific facts reduces opinions and judgments that may limit patient sharing. For example, instead of using the word promiscuity, the practitioner says, ‘multiple sex partners .’
Asking permission from the patient means seeking consent by finding out if the patient would be okay with the practitioner asking a sensitive question. For example, finding out if the patient would be okay answering mental health history questions in their family. The practitioner can also opt to tell the patient that they do not have to answer uncomfortable questions.
When asking these questions, the practitioner can combine these strategies to suit the cultural context. Additionally, the provider integrates cultural competence and includes applicable ethical principles and considerations. This can help reduce tension and improve communication with patients.
The practitioner also needs to incorporate confidentiality concerns into the chosen communication strategy. The confidentiality concerns include telling a patient that their data may be shared by other professionals working in an interdisciplinary setting to find integrative solutions for their sensitive issues.
The practitioner can exclusively document information relevant to the health status while considering the patient’s wishes. However, in child abuse cases or family violence, the practitioner becomes a mandated reporter that follows the state’s regulations to report. Data on sexually transmitted diseases is also automatically shared with the public health sector. If the sensitive issues pose harm to self and others, then the practitioner is bound to report them.