LEOW SHING XUAN

1. Background information of the projects / tasks which I was involved in

The first assignment we were given is to research on doctor-patient communication. We are required to choose an area of this topic to focus on in order to come up with a possible solution to help solve the problem. The final topic that we settled on is how risk communication is received by patients. The project aims to pinpoint how much of the risk of getting various illnesses is being communicated effectively to the patients. The value of such a project is to find out how the risk communication to patients could be more effective so that they would be more aware of the dangers and take more measures to protect themselves and their health. This would overall lead to a healthier population and more efficient use of resources. We mainly research to find out more about this topic. We were hoping to conduct a face to face interview with patients in the A&E but we were unable to do so due to the Wuhan virus outbreak.

The second assignment we were given is doing the newsletter for Health Services Research (HSR). This newsletter would be sent out to various healthcare practitioners to let them know of the different resources and ways that the topics are relevant in their practice. The topics are Health Economics, Artificial Intelligence, Health Qualitative Research and Health Assessment Technology. The value of such a newsletter is to enable them to make full use of these resources and increase their efficiency as they become more aware. At the point where I joined the project, there had already been a newsletter format in place based on copies that was published years ago. They wanted us to research and come up with the information in a simpler, less technical way that is easily understood. We also needed to come up with a more attractive and modern design as the previous one was quite old school. I choose health economics and had communicated with Bryan (a staff member there) to get information about the projects related to health economics that are being conducted in CGH as I needed to include them in the newsletter. A final copy of my newsletter is below.

We sat in on interviews and took notes during the interview. After, we had to transcribe the audio recording so that the audio would be destroyed and the interview would be in an easier way for analysis and reference in the future.

2. Elaboration / record of the activities done

For the assignment that was given to us by Dr How, we did it in steps: Research question, Literary review using methods like qualitative and quantitative research, analysis and finally paper writing. The rationale for such a process is to first find out more about the background and tap on research that had been done in the past so that we will be able to build on that and thus use our resources more efficiently. There were some challenges like choosing the wrong topics at the start and missing out different areas of the topic and doctor patient communication consists of a vast area of areas. We have to be careful of which sources we take information from too as they might not be relevant/ trustable.

We mainly did research for the newsletter and rephrased the information to be easily understood. The design was standardized through the different topics. It was challenging to find the information sometimes as I was not able find some information. However, upon seeking help and clarification from Bryan, I managed to get everything that is needed.

The transcription was difficult at times where the interviewer/interviewee did not speak clearly. It was extremely tedious as we had to transcribe everything word for word, including all the “uhms” etc. it is normal to take more than one hour to complete only 5 minutes of transcription. There were also times where I had to listen back to the recording of a few seconds to find out clearly what the interviewee was saying as it was unclear.

3. Elaboration / record of results / deliverables / impact of work done

Through Dr How’s assignment, I learnt a lot about how much various factors affect communication between doctors and patients. It is extremely crucial for both the doctor and the patient to have a good relationship so that both parties will be able to benefit and resources are used efficiently. Patients have to be open and trust the doctors and in turn, doctors have to be responsible and care about the patients.

I learnt a lot about how health economics is relevant in healthcare. Health care resources include medical supplies, infrastructure, diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, as well as delivery of medical care services. As these resources are limited, utilizing health economics ensures they are divided fairly and efficiently to maximize benefits.

Through transcribing, I had learnt to listen more carefully and type faster. It is also important to go back and check my work as there may be mistakes/ words that I had missed. There was a point where I did not save my work properly. That was when I learned the importance of saving my work every 5 minutes as I had lost more than half of what I had done that day. I think that it is also extremely crucial for me to plan what I was going to do beforehand clearly so that I make full use of my time there.

4. 3 content knowledge / skills learnt

There are many different ways of researching to find out more about what we want. Each way of googling/researching has its advantageous and disadvantageous and they are suited for different kinds of research topics. It is important to be meticulous in everything that we do and double check everything that we did in order to ensure quality and accuracy especially in transcribing. I learnt about how a private interview is conducted: mainly it is led by the interviewee and the interviewer needs to be flexible. The questions would mostly not be asked in order and the interviewer will tweak the phrasing of the questions at times too in accordance to what the interviewee answers. If the interviewee had already answered other questions while answering a particular question, the interviewer need not ask the other questions too. It is important for the interviewer to be alert and not zone out as he/she needs to pay close attention to what the interviewee is saying.

5. 2 interesting aspects of my learning

A doctor’s journey is extremely tough as they have to go through a tedious training about 10 years long, but this may differ as it depends on what specialty is chosen. During this journey, they may be “on call” for 24 hours, which means they are not able to sleep and have to do their duties for the whole day.

Transcribing an interview is extremely specific. There are ways to record every action, such as mumbles, laughs and when either the interviewee or interviewer cuts in when the other is talking. I think that this is required as they may want to analyse body language in the future when they look at the transcript. The information and feedback can be used in data collection and help to improve the event in the future.

6. 1 takeaway for life

I should be meticulous in everything that I do and make sure I am careful so that our work is of the best quality possible. It is extremely crucial for me to plan ahead and be prepared so as to make full use of my time.