Mindful Health Care Professional (eBook)

The author, Dr. Carmelina D'Arro, is a general dentist, dental educator, and speaker. Currently, she provides dental care for the underserved in her community while educating health care professionals locally and abroad in the areas of patient-centered health care and mindfulness. Dr. D'Arro has led numerous talks and workshops at the national and international level in the US and Canada. She has published in a peer-reviewed journal on the topic of mindfulness in dentistry. Dr. D'Arro is graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and has been authorized to teach Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) by University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her passion is to help health care providers find a sense of well-being and joy in their lives, while serving others with compassion.

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Research shows that what makes or breaks the success of a health care professional is more than the ability to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment. An HCP's success hinges on their ability to satisfy patients' main concerns about HCPs namely, "e;do they care about me?"e; and "e;will the procedure hurt?"e; The Mindful Health Care Professional teaches HCPs how to train the mind to be calm, focused, and compassionate in ways that enhance their own well-being and their ability to provide patient-centered care. This book offers the core communication skills needed to convey care and build trust with a novel model that helps navigate challenging procedures and consultations. Finally, it contains many simple, evidence-based techniques for managing pain and anxiety during medical and dental procedures, allowing procedures to unfold more easily for all. Written by Dr. Carmelina D'Arro, a seasoned health care professional and qualified mindfulness teacher, this state-of-the-art guide is designed for students in all areas of health care and includes a fully searchable eBook version with each print purchase that provides links to numerous videos. Patient-centered care approach utilizes the ISLEEP (Introduce, Solicit, Listen, Empathize, Explain, and Power) model which encompasses not only consultations but also hands-on procedures. Trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices are tailored to health care professionals and patients, and help in integrating EASE (equanimity, attentiveness, self-awareness, and empathy) into practice. Evidence-based interventions are based on current pain theory, and include mindfulness techniques, non-pain stimuli, and active distraction. Case studies highlight challenging situations faced by health care professionals and patients and how to navigate them with ISLEEP communication skills. Procedure videos provide step-by-step instructions on how to practice mindfulness and other mind-training techniques. Focus on practical application includes opportunities for observation (videos), practice (simulation exercises), and self-evaluation (clinical tools). More than 20 videos demonstrate the ISLEEP method and how to implement it with patients and staff. Over 20 videos demonstrate interventions for procedural pain and anxiety. Tables and Figures highlight key research and concepts throughout the book. eBook version is included with print purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references, with the ability to search, customize your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud. It also includes videos of meditation practices, communication skills, and interventions for procedural pain and anxiety.