Healthcare Communication

Healthcare Communication

Obesity is a complex healthcare issue that involves an excess increase in body weight due to an excessive amount of fat in body tissue. Not all people that are fat are considered obese as there is a measure of the condition. Obesity is determined by the use of the body mass index (BMI). BMI is the weight of an individual divided by the square of their height.  When the BMI is over 30kg/m² then he or she is considered to be obese (Dudhamal, & Patil, 2017).  Notably, obesity increases the likelihood of other conditions and diseases such as diabetes, depression, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The condition is mainly caused by lack of physical activities, excess food intake and genetic susceptibility (Mehrabani, & Ganjifar, 2018). Obesity is mainly manageable by a combination of both personal choices and social changes.  In this regard, change of diet and exercising are the major treatment approaches for the health condition. Also, medication can be used to reduce the level of fat intake and suppress the appetite of the patient. In extreme cases, surgery might be conducted to reduce the length of the intestines or reduce the volume of the stomach.

According to WHO (2018), global estimates, over 1.9 billion adults were overweight in 2016 and out of this number more than 650 million were obese. This number presented 13% of the total global adult population (WHO, 2018).  Women are the most affected with the condition at 40% with men coming in at 39%. Over the last five decades, the worldwide prevalence of the condition has tripled (WHO, 2018).  In 2016, approximately 41 million children below the age of 5 years were found to be overweight or obese. Obesity has always been considered as a high-income countries problem, but this is rapidly changing with increasing globalisation. There has been a rise in the number of obese people in developing countries, especially in the urban setting. For instance, in Africa, the number of overweight children has increased by 50% in the last one and a half decade (Hales et al. 2017). Surprisingly, approximately half the number of obese or overweight children in the world by 2016 lived in Asia. Approximately 340 million children and adolescents aged between 5 to 19 years are obese or overweight in 2016 (WHO, 2018).  Notably, the prevalence of the condition among children and adolescents between the age of 5 and 19 years rose significantly for 4% in 1975 to 18% in 2016 ((WHO, 2018)). The rise has affected both boys and girls in the same way with boys at 19% and girls at 18%. Obesity has been linked to many deaths in the world, and there have been increased campaigns to address the prevalence of the problem which might prove to be difficult to mitigate in future if not properly checked (Lundeen et al. 2018). Cardiovascular diseases related to obesity were the leading global cause of death for obesity cases.

I have a young sibling who has been battling with the problem of obesity since he was young.  His problem started at his tender age, but much was not done as my parents perceived the problem would subside as he advanced in aged. However, things did not change, and he kept increasing weight rapidly, and by the time he was eight years he was extremely obese. It is at this moment that my parents realised that he needed more attention that they were offering. For my brother, living with obesity has not been for him both on the social and health platforms. On the healthy approach, he struggled to control his body due to the weight, and he always felt so uncomfortable especially when it was hot. Later when he was 12 years, he developed blood sugar problems, and he had to visit the doctor for health checkups constantly. On the social approach, life was not easy for him as he was a constant victim of bullying, especially at school. Other children perceived him to be different than them due to his weight. Soon he started developing signs of stress and depression, and he was not happy with the school. I always heard him ask my parents if it was a must he went to school and this was soon reflected in his grades. I always tried to give him mental support, but this was adequate as he needed more medical and social attention and support. My parent decided to take him to the Children Hospital of Los Angeles where they booked an appointment with a physician with expertise with matters of childhood obesity, diabetes and related problems.

I remember I accompanied my brother to one of the patient-doctor interaction at the Children Hospital of Los Angele.  The environment was calm and quiet, and it had a design that attracted the attention of most visitors including drawing on the walls and other decorations. The physician who helped my brother was in supported by nurses who provided healthcare records and other requirements for effective interaction with the patient. The purpose of the interaction that day was that the doctor wanted to check on the health progress of my brother and he had previously been diagnosed with blood sugar level problems.  The doctor realised he was progressing well and his sugar levels were behaving normally. He encouraged him to continue working out before and after school as this will him reduce the level of fats in his body.  He was told to see the doctor every two weeks to ensure proper monitoring.  He was also issued with a data book to record his body weight every two days. I think my brother was satisfied with the visit based on his facial expression and how he handled the request and instructions of the doctor. He felt that it was the proper path of dealing with the obesity problem.

The patient-doctor interaction was effective as the doctor had a good choice of words that were effective in context. He always used funny words to ensure that he remained attentive to the instruction that he gave. The doctor also listened carefully to my brother during the whole session to ensure that he never missed any detail that was of importance to the health concern of my brother.  The perspective of the doctor and my brother interaction was similar to that of a friend –friend interaction and the doctor always avoided showing high levels of dominance in the dialogue. The purpose of the visit was successful.

The outcome of the treatment was effective as my brother started losing weight slowly but progressively. The doctor had provided him with some pills to help reduce his appetite and intake of oils. Through the combination of the medication, social support and exercise, my brother body soon started taking shape. He was always concerned about his diet. Within 2 years with constant visits to the doctor, his obesity problem had been reduced to safe levels.

Based on my experience with my brother case, there are various recommendations I can make related effective communication of health care managers. One of the recommendations is that a physician should understand the nature of the patient before interacting in order to know the communication cues to use. On the other hand, the doctor should avoid showing dominance as this might affect the ability of the patient to share.