Griffin Shaw

Shaw 1

Com 326A
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9/15/14

Application Exercise #1
My attitude in regards to being a patient in a hospital, doctors office, or any other form of
medial practice is met with severe anxiety. Ever since a very young age I have always had a
major fear of hospitals. The fluorescent lights, the constant beeping noises, and the shear thought
of how many people in my close vicinity are either sick or dying. This is one of few things in life
that really troubles me. When analyzing the COMFORT model, the most prominent to me is
family. I myself have only been in the hospital one time, but my fear and anxiety comes from
seeing many of my family members being hospitalized. As I sit here and ponder to myself I want
nothing more than to think of a hospital visit that brings joy to my heart. One that I think back
and say to myself; that was a great day. But nothing comes to mind. The only memories I have
are of my mother having internal bleeding, both of my grandmothers passing away, and having
complete ACL reconstruction surgery on my right knee. In our reading it states; Even reactions
to objectively severe news will vary depending on a host of personal factors, including age,
familial obligations, and culture. (Davis, 1991). This statement is very pertinent to my life
because all of the negative connotations I associate with hospitals came at an early age, which
forever altered my view of medical practice. I believe that if my earliest memories of health care
had been positive, like perhaps a younger sibling being born, then my outlook would not be so
tainted.

Griffin Shaw

Shaw 2

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The orientation of being a patient is without question the most important part of a patientdoctor relationship. It is a known fact in life that you only get one chance at a first impression
and I believe this to be very pertinent when analyzing these types of relationships. In our online
text it states; Effective doctor-patient communication can alter the patients behavior both prior
to (preventative) diagnosis and after a diagnosis is received while the patient is undergoing
treatment (Dearing et al., 1996; Greenfield, Kaplan, & Ware, 1985; Kreps & OHair, 1995). I
think this statement is very important because the patient deserves to be treated in a manner that
makes them feel comfortable and at ease. For example, when the doctor told me that my ACL
was completely torn, she did so in a way that made me feel cheap and expendable. There was no
sincerity in her voice and it made me feel as if I were not important to her. This made my reality
much more harsh and caused me to break down in hysteria. I believe that if she had of broken the
bad news in a warm compassionate manner, I would not have reacted in the way I did. Research
suggests that many factors influence a patients satisfaction with the manner in which
communication and breaking bad news occurs. For instance, it is well documented that the style
of bad news delivery can greatly affect the manner in which the patient reacts to the news.
(Kreps & OHair, 1995; Mast et al., 2005; Mueller, 2002). This citation more than adequately
describes exactly what happened in my case.
In all honesty, I have physically and emotionally become numb to the stinging affects of
death and dying. Although I will never lose my compassion and sincerity for others in their time
of grief, I feel as though I have been through the worst possible scenario that can happen to me.
At the young age of 19, I lost my father to suicide by asphyxiation. Something that is an
indescribable pain and a feeling that only time can begin to take away. Not only did I lose my

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father in this manner but I am left with the guilt and terror that came from finding his deceased
body. My overall attitude toward death is pain and sorrow. Not for myself, but for my beautiful
mother who lost her life partner of 40 years and is now left to pick up the pieces. I have seen first
hand the outcome from this type of horrible action, but although I am still grieving, I am also still
growing. Going through an experience of this magnitude made me into the man I am today. I
love deeper, I laugh harder, and Ive learned to never take one breath for granted. The death of
my father has completely shaped my caregiving interactions with my friends and family. Going
through that experience gave me such a new found outlook on life that has enabled me to
enhance my caregiving abilities. I can feel the pain of others when I look into their eyes and am
able to offer sincere and genuine compassion to those in need. Relating to peoples situations is
much easier and finding the right thing to say has become something of a natural ability for me.
People always ask me if there is any silver lining to my dads death, and all that I can say is that I
am now able to provide COMFORT to those in need.

References

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Hinds, C (1992) Suffering: A relatively unexplored phenomenon among family caregivers of

non-institutional patients with cancer. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17, 918925.
Sparks, L, Villagram, M.M, Parker-Riley, J, Cunningham, C.B, (2007) A patient-centered
approach to breaking bad news: Communication guidelines for health care providers.
Journal of Applied Communication Research, 35, 177-196.