Academic Personal Development

Emotion in Health Care: The Cost of Caring

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Article Analysis, Summary, and Critique

Introduction

The essay will attempt to relate the article to a future role of a professional practice within the

health care sector. The essay will break down the article into sections and summarize it briefly.

Statistics within the article will be discussed and explained. Defects of the article will be

addressed. The essay will further examine whether or not the article was of a biased point of

view. The essay will in conclusion use a reflective cycle such as Gibbs after which findings will

be summed up. Within the conclusion the essay will make recommendations as to why such

willful neglect act must be punishable and consider as a criminal offence.

Purpose

The primary aim of the research study was to establish findings that would enhance knowledge

and understanding of the centrality of emotion. It also focuses on the importance of emotion and

how it affects the health of care givers involved in taking care of patients. It was carried out on

health care professions who were working in a pilot program that was involved in cancer

screening (Brunton, 2005, p. 340-354). Additionally, the research study studied how the

communication of such professionals was affected by the duties in taking care of cancer patients

because of the induced emotions resulting from their line of work.

The selection of the topic was excellent. That is because there are relatively few studies

that focus on the impacts of the duty of taking care of cancer patients. As this study establishes,

the professionals who give care to such patients undergo various emotional sufferings. Some of

these emotional impacts are caused by the knowledge that most of the patients have minimal

chances of survival, as well as understanding that cancer is a terminal illness that causes

suffering to the patient.

It is also critical to carry out more studies on the topic so as to establish both the positive

and negative emotional impacts of caring for a person with cancer on the caregiver. Some of the

emotional impacts on the caregivers include positive feelings such as companionship,

togetherness, resilience and increased awareness on cancer, as well as spiritual and personal

growth. These are some of the impacts on the professionals that need to be studied so as to

establish ways of assisting them to overcome any negative impacts that could arise from this

cause. However, such studies could be used promote care for cancer patients by asserting that it

is also a source of satisfaction that arises from helping others.

The choice of the research topic was also excellent because there is a need to study some

of the negative emotional impacts that result from taking care of people living with cancer. Most

professionals in the health care sector complain of strain, stress, and psychological illnesses such

as clinical depression that comes from dealing with individuals with cancer. However, these

impacts have been ignored, leaving workers in the sector to continue suffering. As such, this

research topic helped in bridging the gap that exists in the current research studies in the

literature review. Other emotional impacts on professionals include depression, distress, anxiety,

and exhaustion because of the duties that are involved in screening cancer patients, as well as

taking care of them.

Design, Methodology, and Approach

This research study was the third phase of a larger study that was in progress. As such, the study

employed the use of interviews that were semi-structured in nature. The sample size consisted of

19 individuals from various professional groups. They volunteered to respond to the interview

questions to the best of their knowledge without any expectations of been paid (Brunton, 2005, p.

340-354). Such members had been involved in the service of cancer screening for quite some

time. As such, they were familiar with the emotional impacts that the service has on professional

care givers. As such, they could provide accurate and reliable information on the topic under

research.

The results that had been obtained from the first two phases of the study were used to

make some critical comments. Such comments were extracted from the questionnaires used. That

was done so as to ensure that there was actually an overflow of emotional effects on the

individuals served by the organization.

This was an excellent approach and study methodology to adopt for the study.

Professionals were drawn from different organizations. That ensured that the data that would be

collected would be analyzed and compared, thus drawing reliable conclusions. The individuals

selected had also worked in the sector for a long time. As such, they were in a position to tell of

the emotional impacts from a first-hand information perspective. As such, the information that

was obtained was reliable and had a high degree of accuracy.

Findings

The research study led to the findings that emotion is one of the critical interfaces that affect

communication between various groups. It was also established that there was a communication

breakdown between the clients and the professionals in the group because of the nature of

emotions affecting both sides (Brunton, 2005, p. 340-354). However, these emotions go

unreported. As such, they cause difficulties for most of the staff handling the cancer patients.

These findings are critical in assisting in establishing ways of combating the impacts of

such emotions on the communication between care givers and cancer patients. As shown, there

are various psychological symptoms of cancer that should be identified at an early stage so that

they can be managed to be stopped from having severe impacts on the communication between

cancer patients and professionals giving them care. Such emotional impacts as established in this

study include wandering, aggression, delusions, hallucinations, and (Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder (PSTD) that lead to the breakdown of communication between the two parties. As such,

these results could be used to establish ways of mitigating such challenges. However, it is critical

to note that the amount of emotional distress in patients and professionals differs depending on

age, gender, and emotional stability and maturity.

Research Limitations and Implications

The research study was confined to one healthcare organization. However, the findings obtained

are applicable to other professionals in other organizations in the same sector. Additionally, the

fact that secondary interviews were carried out in the organization could have constrained some

of the respondents (Brunton, 2005, p. 340-354). As such, that could have had negative impacts

on the accuracy of the information that they gave.

Despite these challenges, it is evident that professionals in the same sector face the same

challenges when in their line of duty. As such, future studies should focus on eliminating such

limitations to make them more accurate than this study. They should also focus on establishing

ways of helping professionals in cancer screening and treatment centers to overcome the

emotional impacts resulting from their duties.

Originality and Value

This research study is of great significance to the healthcare sector dealing with cancer patients.

It shows that emotions are a critical component of communication (Brunton, 2005, p. 340-354).

It also identifies ways of establishing effective and efficient working relationships to enable

workers to withstand the heavy duties found in healthcare organizations. It also forms the basis

for future studies. The findings can be used in future studies. The limitations can also guide

future studies so that they can be avoided to increase the accuracy of such studies.

Bias

The research study was successful but it was biased. It was conducted in one healthcare

organization and the results used to conclude. In doing so, the researchers failed to appreciate the

fact that emotions are also affected by demographic factors such as location, age, and gender, as

well as social class in the society. Additionally, the study focused on formal care givers only and

ignored carers at home. They should have been included in the study since they face similar

challenges as the formal carers. As such, these factors should be considered in future studies.

Conclusion

Emotion is a critical component of communication in the healthcare sector. Sometimes

communication is derailed by emotional impacts resulting from taking care of cancer patients. As

such, findings should also be used to improve communication and minimize effects of emotions.

Emotional impacts can be managed by establishing programs that counsel and train professionals

how to manage such impacts. That would help. Such services should also be extended to carers

at home.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle

ACADEMIC SKILLS:

Doing assignments are always characterized by feelings of fear and mixed emotions about how

to go about it and how to meet the expectations of the professor. In this case, I had to analyze and

summary the article that had been given in class. I achieved that and proceeded to use the Gibbs

Reflective Cycle. I used it to reflect on the experience that I had gone through during the

exercise. I also analyzed the situation and identified ways of making the exercise more

successful the next time I encounter it. I used the analysis and Gibbs Reflective Cycle to write

my report as presented.

DESCRIBE

This was a very resourceful activity that equipped me with analytical skills as well as

summarizing long texts without distorting the message or leaving out important notes. This was a

rare opportunity in class to sharpen my skills in writing and critical thinking. I used this article to

bring out the challenges that carers face in taking care of individuals suffering from cancer.

Initially, I was worried how I could compose a satisfactory essay and present for marking.

However, after consultation with my tutor, I could comfortably discuss one of the issues that is

avoided in most cases; emotional impacts of taking care of cancer patients.

EVALUATION

Identifying a worth article to summarize was tedius and a tricky role. I analyzed most of the ethic

and moral issues facing the society today. In my view, most of them such as premarital sex and

teenage pregnancies have been highlighted in most of the existing literature. As such, I settled

for the emotional impacts of caring for cancer patients since there is limited literature on it. As

such, it is an issue that requires public awareness. I also used the available data and information

as my evidence to support my claims on the topic. This article was accessed from a database.

ANALYSE:

I read the article for several times without noting anything. I did this so that I could get the main

issue addressed by the researchers. I then obtained a writing material and noted the main points

as I read the article for the last time. I then used these points to compile my report. I ensured that

the summary of the article that I had written was succinct and covered the main points in the

article. I also did a critical analysis of the same.

CONCLUSION:

This was an excellent experience for me. Searching for the article, reading it several times, and

summarizing it were just but an interesting process. I acquired critical analysis and summary

skills thanks to the exercise. As such, it placed me in an excellent position to understand similar

situations.

ACTION PLAN:

I used my creative skills to ensure that this process was successful. As such, I realized that it is

critical to use critical analysis and summary skills. I purpose to continue developing my skills in

these areas so that I can make my future assignments even much better than this one.

Reference List

Brunton, M., 2005. Emotion in health care: the cost of caring. Journal of health organization and

management, 19(4/5), pp.340-354.

Wilding, P.M., 2008. Reflective practice: a learning tool for student nurses.British Journal of

Nursing, 17(11).

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