Question:

What creative ways can you develop trust, connect with and support your patients?

Answer:

Caring for the patient with compassion, empathy and good verbal and non-verbal communication skills are fundamental criteria to develop trust, connecting with and supporting patients. Actively listening and appropriate acknowledging patients’ needs, and providing a safe and comfortable environment could help patients to express themselves with less stress and anxiety.

My suggested idea is to use the help with Virtual Reality (VR) technology, the only required equipment is a VR headset, head-held controllers and a mobile phone, with no limitations on where they can use it, e.g., in hospital settings, care home settings and even their home.

First, the patient is the one to develop the virtual environment in which they feel most comfortable and safe. Second, in the VR environment, they can create their own character walking around, interacting and communicating with health care professionals only, which is also a character created by patients. These settings not only protect patients’ privacy but also minimise stress and anxiety. It is a platform where patients can completely relax, enjoy, release and express themselves freely to multidisciplinary health care professionals. There will also have art, music, drama, and dance and movement areas, in which psychotherapists could provide support and meet individual needs. Last but not the least, inside the VR setting, there are supporting hotline available, which is directly connected to the emergency service centre if there is an emergency.