4. Active listening is a structured form of
listening and responding that focuses the
attention on the speaker. It is a
communication technique that requires the
listener to re-state or paraphrase what they
have heard, in their own words.
5. The benefits of active listening are:
• it forces people to listen attentively to
others;
• it avoids misunderstandings as individuals
have to
confi rm that they have understood what
has been said;
• it helps during confl icts as solutions are
more likely to
be found if both parties are actively
listening.
6. ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS EXAMPLES
Example 1
Patient: I am hungry. Please feed me this ice
cream.
Nurse: You sound like you need something to eat.
I bet you could feed yourself the ice cream if you
tried.
Patient: I can’t – feed me!
Nurse: Let me give you this special spoon, which
you may fi nd helpful to feed yourself and I’ll be
right here if you need me.
Example 2
Patient: I am hungry. Please feed me this ice
cream.
Nurse: You’ll need to start eating your ice cream
soon, or it’ll melt.
Patient: Feed me!
Nurse: Would you like a cup of tea?
7. HOW TO PERFORM EFFECTIVE ACTIVE
LISTENING SKILLS
Active listening may have to be learned and practised
to become perfect. The active listener should:
• face the speaker;
• maintain eye contact;
•respond appropriately to show your understanding:
validating statements and making statements of
support;
• try to minimise external distractions: give the speaker
your full attention;
• try to minimise internal distractions: listen to what is
being said and stay focused;
• focus solely on the person speaking to you and what
they are saying;
• avoid letting the speaker know how you handled a
similar situation;
• show good manners: even if the speaker is making
a complaint about you, allow them to fi nish before
defending yourself;
• engage yourself: ask questions for clarifi cation;
• keep an open mind.
8. BARRIERS TO LISTENING
1 your own bias or prejudices;
2 language differences or accents;
3 noise and external distractions;
4 worry, fear, anger: not being able to
focus;
5 lack of attention span (due to tiredness,
etc.).
9. IMPLEMENTING HUMAN FACTORS IN HEALTH
CARE
Some of the common factors that can increase
risk include:
• mental workload;
• distractions;
• the physical environment;
• physical demands;
• device/product design;
• process design.
10. Awareness of human factors in health care can help you
to:
• understand why health-care staff make errors and,
in particular, which ‘systems factors’ threaten patient
safety;
• improve the safety culture of teams and
organisations;
• enhance teamwork and improve communication
between health-care staff;
• improve the design of health-care systems and
equipment;
• identify ‘what went wrong’ and predict ‘what could go
wrong’;
• appreciate how certain tools may help to lessen the
likelihood of patient harm.
