Introduction - Key Caring Techniques and Challenges in Patient Care
Every human being values their “quality of life”. The term "quality of life", often known as "QOL" refers to a broad, "multifaceted notion" that typically includes subjective evaluations of both positive and negative aspects of life (Cdc.gov, 2018). However, obtaining an accurate “QOL measurement” is difficult. This is because, depending on the circumstances, the term "quality of life" might signify different things to different people. On the other hand, every individual within the society has "needs" in order to grow, develop, and build a healthy lifestyle. Providing care enables people to achieve active, healthy, and independent lifestyles. Some of the key caring techniques include "encouraging", "showing approval", "gaining compliance", "creating trust", "observation" and so on. Regardless of any potential health limits, “positive caring” entails “designing a personalized care pathway” for each individual based on their “needs and preferences”. It also helps in making every individual more confident and secure.
Figure 1: Quality of life diagram
Main Body
A. High quality of life depends on four things, according to individuals
Every individual needs to have a “quality of life” or “high quality of life” in order to function properly within society. In accordance with "The World Health Organisation", “health” is a very important aspect for everyone (McCartney et al. 2019). However, in many countries, health has been assisted narrowly and from a deficit perspective, frequently through measurements of morbidity or death. On the other hand, the concept of being healthy encompasses not only physical health but also mental health and social well-being. On the contrary, even if everybody lives in the same society the term “quality of life” portrays different meanings for each individual depending upon their situation. There are other dimensions of the general quality of life than health that are equally essential, such as employment, housing, education, and neighborhood. Apart from this, measuring overall quality of life is more difficult due to the involvement of important factors such as culture, spirituality, and values.
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In order to achieve a high quality of life every individual requires some factors. Some of those factors include “health”, “financial well-being”, “emotional well-being” and “access to education”. Health is one of the crucial factors which everyone needs to maintain. A great quality of life is facilitated by having good physical, mental, and social health in all spheres. It indicates that a person is extremely content, driven, and active in life if they exhibit all three good health indicators. According to the opinion of (Peate, 2017), those who are driven, self-assured, and active always work on projects that are advantageous for both their own lives and the communities in which they live. On the other hand, in order to reach a great quality of life, someone must advance in any health areas where they are lagging. Based on the report there has been a significant increase in life expectancy around the world over the “previous 60 years” (Mckinsey.com, 2022). As a result, it can be stated that having good health securely increases the chance of living a high quality of life.
Figure 2: Average years of health and life expectancy worldwide
Another factor that everyone requires in order to have a high-quality life is financial and material well-being. Being financially stable as well as having proper shelter over the head always allows for gaining as well as maintaining a high quality of life. Accordingly, having financial and material stability also provides a sense of security to an individual which is another aspect in order to maintain a high quality of life. Through financial stability, an individual also gains access to advanced technology both in daily life and in medical care (Gruber et al. 2021). Advanced technology makes the life of an individual very easy by doing everything from housework to office work. As a result, it can be stated that someone can't achieve a great quality of life if they do not have adequate financial and material security.
The next factor is emotional welding. The emotional well-being of an individual is very crucial in order to achieve and maintain a high quality of life. It can be quite challenging for someone to obtain a high quality of life if they are not emotionally stable or unable to carry out specific tasks. Emotional well-being is also closely related to the health aspect of an individual. According to the opinion of (Glasby, 2017), an individual's social interactions would be affected if they were experiencing emotional instability. Health and social relationships are also important in order to attain “a high quality of life”. As a result, it is important to achieve as well as maintain good emotional well-being which would help in gaining as well as sustaining a high quality of life. The fourth most important factor that is needed to have a “high-quality life” is access to education. Proper access to education is very much needed in order to gain knowledge about the basics of quality of life. The only way to pursue a higher quality of life is to comprehend the fundamental principles of life. All of the aforementioned factors can only be understood through proper education. Based on the opinion of (Pronk et al. 2021), health and well-being are built on a foundation of high-quality education. Accordingly, it also helps to attain financial stability which is also closely related to a high quality of life. As a result, it can be stated that having proper access to good quality education is crucial in order to have “a high quality of life”.
B. Four key caring techniques
Each person in society has specific demands that must be met in order for them to develop and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Most of the time providing care helps in meeting these needs. Caring assists people with daily tasks and promotes aspects of a person's quality of life (Blunden, R. 2021). Thus, they consequently have a big influence on the outcomes they deliver. There are many “key caring techniques” present. However, some of them come naturally and some of them “need to be learned”. The “four key caring techniques” include “encouraging”, “showing approval”, “creating trust”, and “gaining compliance”. The concept of the “six C’s” also helps the care workers in order to the effective execution of these caring techniques (Nursinginpractice.com, 2013). The “six C’s” includes “care”, “compassion”, “competence”, “courage” and “commitment”.
“Encouraging” helps motivate an individual in many aspects within the work as well as outside the workplace. The carers try to uplift and assist the patient during critical circumstances and procedures. Every individual enjoys receiving praise and encouragement. As a result, it can be stated that individuals repeat that same behavior in order to get praised and eventually it becomes a norm. This helps in motivating people in order to practice behaviors that improve their health and well-being (Kang, Martinez, & Johnson, 2021). On the other hand, carers need to be more careful around those people whose behavior is not likely to improve their well-being. Carers also need to remember that every individual is different and makes their own decision differently. Thus, they need to be gentle while explaining the implications of the behaviors to individuals (Kokorelias et al. 2022). As an example, it can be seen that a patient who received leg surgery is usually demotivated while coming to walking exercises. However, daily encouragement from the carer helps in motivating them to start practicing walking, which would aid in their recovery of health and well-being.
"Showing approval" is another key caring technique. It is mostly person-centred care which is also false under positive caring. Every individual in a care center or in a normal environment likes to be praised or recognized. Praising also gives them a sense of recognition which is needed within the walls of the care centre (Di Saverio et al. 2020). People most of the time avoid other persons who are vulnerable, ill, or have a disability. The carer responds favorably by grinning and expressing gratitude. Accordingly, they also use phrases like "well done" or "you look nice today", these give a positive sense of recognition within the caring relationship. People in care seek their carers for permission before doing something (Greenwood et al. 2019). As an example, if a severely ill child takes his medicine without resistance, then the care workers always praise them by saying "Oh look how brave you are '' or "You are doing so good".
The next key caring technique is "creating trust". The carer “cultivates relationships” while upholding “confidentiality” and “being reliable”. Accordingly, the care seeker also evaluates the carers depending upon this. Through the course of “person-centered care”, the patient and the care worker may create a special relationship between them (Corrigan, 2015). As a result, sometimes the care seeker also shares confidential stuff with their carer. However, if the care worker is unable to maintain the confidentiality of the news shared by the care seeker, then the trust can be broken and the patient will not trust anyone in the future. As an example, a patient shared with their care worker that her daughter is a drug addict as a result of the trust they have in their relationship. On the other hand, no one in the family of the patient knows about this news. It shows how much the patient trusts that individual carer.
Another key caring technique is "gaining compliance". Carers need to motivate individuals to do what is needed to improve their health and well-being. Nonetheless, a care worker is not permitted to give orders to a patient and is not permitted to use coercion or threats against them. Only individuals are free to choose whether or not to cooperate. The majority of the time, people trust their carers and are aware that it is for their good (Frei, & Morriss, 2020). On the other hand, sometimes the care workers need to explain why the procedures are needed as they always require proper knowledge in order to “proceed with the request”. As an example, attempting to convince someone to stop “smoking” simply does not work; rather, informing them of the health consequences of smoking works.
C. Four major constraints (barriers) to positive caring
Worldwide, the health and social care industries practice positive caring and person-centred care. The application of positive caring and person-centered care has encountered several challenges throughout the last few years, particularly in the wake of the global pandemic (Glasby, 2017). Some of those constraints include "lack of knowledge and training”, "limited resources", "burnout and stress" and "daily lifestyle". Apart from this the concept of the “six C's” also highlights the factor through which the patients are looked after with care and compassion by professional care workers. The care workers also need to be competent and well communicate along with having the courage to make changes in order to improve person-centred care and bring out a better quality of lifedaily.
“Lack of knowledge and training” of the care workers is one of the significant constraints in the application of “person-centered care”. The care workers are unable to provide proper assistance to the needed individuals due to not having proper training and background knowledge about a specific medical condition regardless of its emergency parameters (Kiwanuka, Shayan, & Tolulope, 2019). As an example, the inability to provide appropriate help would indicate a lack of person-centered care if a carer unfamiliar with treating acute appendicitis was given a patient with the same medical condition.
The next constraint in the application of “person-centered care” and “positive caring” is "limited resources". Limited resources mean the lack of medical equipment along with medicine and other medical supplies as well (Kwame, & Petrucka, 2021). It has been seen that many hospitals do not have all of the medical equipment that is needed for specific treatments. As a result, even after having proper background knowledge and training to deal with specific medical cases, the care worker is unable to provide positive caring and person-centered care. As an example, it can be seen that many hospitals in Nigeria do have the oxygen supply that is needed to battle child pneumonia but the number of supplies is very limited in comparison with the demand. Thus, it prevents care workers from providing person-centered care.
"Burnout and stress" are the constraints in the application of person-centered care and positive caring. An individual care worker is not assigned to one patient only (Blackwood et al. 2019). As a result, the carers also feel burnout and extreme stress due to providing non-stop care to specific individuals who have different needs and requirements. As a result, it sometimes hampers positive caring as well as person-centered care. As an example, a carer who is exhausted from meeting the duties of caregiving sometimes lacks the strength or resources to offer person-centered care.
"Daily lifestyle" is another constraint in the application of “person-centered care and positive caring”. According to the report it has been seen that “overweight or obese” status affected "58% of women" and "68% of men in 2015", with “obesity” rates increasing from "15% in 1993 to 27% in 2015" (England.nhs.uk, 2019). As a result, it becomes quite hard for care workers to motivate individuals to do certain procedures. As an example, it can be seen that sometimes individuals do not follow the provided food chart according to their needs and always eat processed food and it becomes quite hard to understand the consequences. Thus, it directly leads to damaging person-centered care.
D. In order to provide high-quality patient care, quality of life, important caring strategies, and positive caring are all important.
“Quality of life” or achieving “high quality of life” requires a lot of factors. Individuals need to maintain as well as some of the factors such as “health”, “financial well-being”, “emotional well-being”, “access to education” and so on. Nonetheless, having financial security is directly related to maintaining excellent health. Accordingly, emotional well-being as well as financial stability is closely linked to proper educational access. Apart from this the main domain in achieving as well as maintaining a quality of life requires proper health (McCartney et al. 2019). In order to achieve proper health, it is much needed to get proper healthcare service from the care workers. Mostly the care services from the care workers are focused on positive caring as well as person-centred care.
Positive caring focuses on creating unique care ways to meet the needs and requirements of individuals regardless of their health parameters. More to the similar concept is person-centered care as well. However, in person-centered care workers are mostly focused on one individual at a time. There are many key caring techniques through which positive caring, as well as person-centered care, can be achieved in a more “effective and efficient way”. Some of the key caring techniques are “encouraging”, “showing approval”, “creating trust”, and “gaining compliance”. The care workers can better implement these techniques along with the concept of the "six C's". According to this concept, individuals need to be handled with more care and compassion (Kokorelias et al. 2022). This would help in building trust between the individual and the specific care worker. As a result, depending on the trust along with the positive care the individuals end up performing certain procedures that they were refusing to do previously which ultimately helps in achieving good quality patient care. As an example, a patient who was refusing to do another CT scan after talking with an individual care worker gave in. Apart from this giving encouragement as well as showing approval along with positive caring also helps in improving the overall health and well-being of the patient. As an example, a patient who was refusing to do vocal exercises after the surgery however getting continuous praise gave them the motivation to continue the vocal exercise. According to this example, it can be clearly stated that positive caring along with proper key caring techniques helps in achieving good quality patient care.
Similar to positive caring person-centred care also helps in ensuring good quality care as well as improving the quality of life. According to the concept of the "six C's" in addition to being competent and well-communicated, care workers must also have the courage to implement changes to enhance person-centered care and consistently raise standards of living (Kang, Martinez, & Johnson, 2021). Person-centered care helps in providing proper care to one individual at a time. As a result, it helps increase the overall health and well-being of that individual patient. As an example, it can be seen that giving person-centred care reduces the chance of burnout and stress which helps in giving better person-centred care to an individual.
The pursuit of person-centered care and positive care is not without its difficulties. Some of those challenges include "lack of knowledge and training”, "limited resources", "burnout and stress" and "daily lifestyle". The lack of knowledge and training challenges can be overcome by providing proper training to the new care workers (Kwame, & Petrucka, 2021). In order to prevent limited resources, the care workers need to provide proper assistance to the hospital authority so that they can fill the needs properly. Providing person-centered care to a care worker might have a chance of reducing burnout and stress. Lastly to improve the daily lifestyle of the patient care workers need to build trust and positive relationships with the patients.
Conclusion
After evaluating all of the pre mention discussions it can be considered that to achieve "good quality patient care”; “quality of life”, ‘key caring techniques” along with “positive caring’ are a much-needed factor. Apart from this person-centered care along with the concept of the "six C's" also helps in achieving good quality patient care. On the other hand, there are several obstacles that have been seen in the way of putting good caring and person-centered care into practice. The right key caring techniques can be used to overcome these obstacles, and the quality of life for both care workers and specific patients can also be improved.
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