Negotiation, Barriers, and Discussion of Death in Patient Education

Patient Education
Student’s Name
Institution
Patient Education
Negotiation in patient education refers to a process of information exchange, communication, and goal setting which occurs between patients and healthcare professionals. Patients do not always agree with a treatment or care plan and healthcare professionals have to understand the patient’s point of view, consult with the patient, exchange information, and negotiate until they both arrive at an agreeable, effective treatment plan (Nager, 2020). As such, healthcare professionals use negotiation to help patients adopt health-promoting behaviors.
Over the years, there have been an increasing number of sources of information that patients are exposed to. This includes mainstream media, social media, friends, and families, among others. Not all information provided on some of these sources is true, yet patients may believe it. This has made patient education a bit complex since patients have to unlearn what they believe to be true so they can learn what is actually true.
The pros of negotiation include effective collaboration and shared decision-making between healthcare providers and patients, enhanced trust and empathy, as well as increased patients’ commitment to the agreed-upon care/treatment plan or lifestyle changes (Nager, 2020). The cons include time consumption as patients and providers go back and forth until they reach an agreement. Also, both parties may reach an impasse that makes it difficult to move forward with the relationship.
A patient contract would include an offer in terms of the services that the healthcare professional is intending to provide, an acceptance in terms of the appointment the patient books with the healthcare professional, and consideration in the form of exchange of services for a fee (Niedzwiecki, 2022). In addition, the contract would include the capacity and competence of the patient and the healthcare provider. This enhances the contractual obligation between patients and healthcare professionals.
Baby boomers are slowly entering the old age bracket and their needs, especially for care, are becoming more complex every day. According to Song and Ferris (2018), about 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 years old daily and by 2030, they will all be aged 65years and above. There will be more people in old age soon because baby boomers are living longer. This also means there will be an increasing demand for healthcare among the elderly.
A 30-year-old healthcare professional may understand cultural diversity better than the elderly patient because diversity has become increasingly prominent in the modern-day. A 30-year-old may also be less religious, especially when it comes to following organized religion. Thus, the 30-year-old may lean more towards medicine while the elderly may lean more towards spirituality for healing. In addition, the 30-year-old may b...