Question

Patients often prefer privacy when it comes to being weighed. They may be embarrassed, in denial, or angry about their weight. How can you communicate, provide privacy, and demonstrate sensitivity to a patient?

Answer 1

Let me help you with this one:

Communicate:

When you communicate with a patient that needs to be weighed, you need to be careful with your word choices. Fat, obesity, heavy, excess fat or large are words that are found to be undesirable. Choose words like excess weight, BMI or just use weight when you are discussing with the patient. Using undesirable words usually have negative connotations and this would make the patient uncomfortable.

Provide privacy:

It is best to weigh them in a private location, or behind curtains. Do not weigh them in front of others. Do not judge or make a face or react to their measurements. Write it down on the chart, do not say it out loud. Ask the patient if they want to see their results.

Demonstrate sensitivity:

Doing everything mentioned above demonstrates sensitivity. Something one could also do is give a sense of control to the patient like asking their permission to be weighed. Or suggest to look away from the scale when they're being weighed if they find it uncomfortable. Also, it would also be good if you first assess whether the patient even needs to be weighed. Look at their charts, or their history, or previous measurements.(Although, if it is necessary, you need to do it of course. Ask the doctor if it would be okay.)

I hope this helped you or at least gave you an idea on how to start on this question.

Answer 2

Yes people often prefer privacy when it comes to being weighed. They may be embarrassed, in denial or angry about their weight. So if there is such a case in which a person is necessary to be weighed, then it should be communicated softly, gently, by using the generalized connotations. Harsh words like fat, obese, overweight, etc should be avoided. Secondly the patient should be weight in privacy. He should be weighed in a place where other people are not present, like for example in a separate room or behind the curtains. Sensitivity towards this issue should be demonstrated to the patient through general discussion with the client about the weight.

This is how the patient won't feel embarrassed or angry.