The Nurse's Lack Of Social Perception

Social perception is the process by which we form impressions for other people and make inferences about them. It means to be aware of the patients likely feeling’s, needs and intentions. These factors can be shown by facial expressions, posture, tone of voice and as well as what was said, perceptions can accurate and inaccurate and the nurses and doctors must be aware of making assumptions that are wrong. (http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/defination.php?term=social%20perception-19/10/15)
A patient’s tone of voice may be different than usual, it could be a lot quitter or shaky, this can show signs of the child being upset, scared or worried. As soon as a nurse looks at a child they should have an idea of what feelings that child is experiencing.
The child could simply refuse the injections or start to become cheeky with the staff that are looking after them. If the child has a doll with them or if not the nurse could go get one from the play room then demonstrate on the doll giving it an injection. The nurse will show the child that it isn’t that scary by saying “See dolly was a brave girl/boy getting their injection, your turn” this will encourage the child to be brave just like the doll. The doll can even be used to distract the child whilst getting the injection if the nurse starts to play with the doll and child and pretend that the doll is real. This will make the child calmer and even make them less nervous for any injections they get after that. The child can also be praised by the nurse or doctor saying “well done aren’t you a very brave boy/girl!” (School
(http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/communication-20/10/15)
An example of communication in the children’s A&E would be when a doctor is giving a child an injection. The doctor will need to speak clearly and slowly in a way that the child understands as they may be feeling very anxious, the doctor or nurse should then explain each step fully before they actually give the child the injection to make sure the know when he/she is going to give it to them, the doctor should make sure the child knows when to expect be injection by saying “1,2,3..” this will make the child feel less apprehensive. (School Nurse-20/10/15)
The first step towards effective communication in nursing is honesty. “Don’t tell a patient that you are going to do something unless you mean it, and if you can’t follow through, explain why. Promises, if made, must be kept. (http://www.nursetogether.com/why-communication-in-nursing-profession-is-important-21/10/15) If a nurse tells a child that they will be back in 5 minutes and do not show up until a few hours later then the child will feel like they cannot believe the nurse because they have been lied to. The next time the nurse says something to the child which may be important the child may chose not to listen. It is important that the child can rely on the