Learning how to start a conversation and communicate with a patient is an important skill that a certified nursing assistant should learn in order to achieve better interaction with them and provide them with the best care possible. It is also important as the initial encounter between patient and healthcare worker can be full of tension if the worker is not able to handle the situation properly. Not knowing or being familiar with a person can make a patient apprehensive and uncooperative and make things hard for the CNA to care for them. If you want to avoid this scenario, it is therefore important to know just how to make the first conversation work.
The first step is that a CNA should introduce himself or herself to the patient in the most comprehensive manner possible in order to remove any apprehension by the patient. Health care workers are expected to treat their patient with attention and care as they provide direct care to them. They must make the introduction in a friendly and polite manner and should avoid being overly cheery as the patient does not yet know them. They must do 
everything that they can in order to make the patient comfortable and feel as if they are in their own home. An important way to do this is to show respect at all times. If the patient is having a difficult time understanding your instructions, try to speak more slowly and clearly. You can also try using easier words to help them understand.
The caregiver must also be able to provide answers to the questions which are being asked by the patient. They may have some questions about the facility, the date, or the time and may even be curious about the various services that are being done to them. It is important for a worker to provide answers to these questions in an honest way, and in the best manner that they can. This will help to calm the patient down and will also give them some assurance that their concerns are being addressed by the worker.
There will be times when the CNA would have to ask the patient some questions in order to learn about their concerns and needs. At these times, the worker must ask only simple questions which can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” This will make it easier for the patient to grasp what is being asked instead of complex types of questions. The worker can also ask the patient to just nod or blink his eyes if the patient cannot communicate orally with them. If the patient has any concern with his or her doctor or relative that they wish to communicate, write them down and send or tell them to the person concerned.
Being able to communicate well with a patient is an important aspect in the relationship between a patient and a nurse aide. It will help provide a smoother relationship between them and will make it easier for the health care worker to provide the care and services that the patient needs. Knowing therefore how to start a conversation with a patient is an important skill that must be mastered by a CNA before starting to work. It will remove any hardship and miscommunications which may occur in their future employment. photo attribution: docoverachiever
Watch the video on how a health care worker should communicate with a patient: