For a healthcare professional, communicating with patients is part of their professional work. At the same time, the war has changed the demographics and needs of people seeking medical care. Increasingly, patients include veterans, wounded people, people with disabilities, and internally displaced persons, who may have experienced trauma.

For medical teams, this means not only providing high-quality medical care but also adapting their communication to patients’ diverse experiences and needs.

That is why, as part of the project “Strengthening the Capacity of Healthcare Workers in the Sumy Region to Support Recovery and Reintegration of the Population,” ZDOROVI trainers conducted training sessions on communicating with veterans. The sessions took place as part of the “Capable and Resistant: Sumy” program, implemented by the East Europe Foundation.

In addition to receiving guidance on effective communication, participants developed real-life scenarios, discussed complex cases, and sought practical solutions applicable directly to patient care.

It is worth noting that one of the key principles of the training is to see the veteran first and foremost as a person, rather than merely as a status or a military experience. Behind a patient’s outward confidence or reserve may lie a fear of losing independence, a change in their usual way of life, the physical or psychological consequences of war, uncertainty about the future, or previous negative experiences with the system.

Therefore, medical communication should be based on respect, confidentiality, partnership, and a clear explanation of what is happening.

This includes things that may seem simple at first glance but are important, such as:

• addressing the patient directly, rather than speaking about them through an accompanying person;
• explaining the purpose of the examination, procedures, and next steps;
• asking whether the patient understands the information provided;
• respecting personal boundaries and a person’s right to refuse unwanted care;
• not making assumptions about a veteran’s condition, experiences, or needs based solely on their status;
• treating the patient as a partner in the treatment process.

This is especially important in cases where a veteran may feel a loss of control over their own life or become dependent on others due to their health condition or the effects of an injury.

At the same time, a medical consultation does not always proceed smoothly. The patient may be tired, irritated, tense, or reacting emotionally to the situation.

In such cases, the healthcare provider’s task is not to engage in conflict, but to help steer the conversation back toward resolving the specific issue at hand.

During the training sessions, participants practiced the following approaches, among others: “I’m listening to you carefully” and “Let’s work together to find the best way to resolve this situation.”

Such phrases do not dismiss the patient’s emotions but help steer the conversation in a constructive direction.

Special attention was given during the training to the partnership model of interaction. The healthcare provider has professional knowledge and experience, while the patient knows their own well-being, needs, and limits. Effective treatment occurs when these forms of knowledge complement one another. Therefore, it is important not only to tell the patient what to do and when, but also to explain the reasoning behind your actions, give them the opportunity to ask questions, and take their opinion into account.

In this context, clear communication is not merely an additional skill but an integral part of the quality of medical care.

As the ZDOROVI trainers noted, at each of the nine healthcare facilities, participants asked questions about how to communicate appropriately with veterans, what to pay special attention to, and which phrases are best avoided. Healthcare workers also shared their own real-life experiences — describing situations in which they had already interacted with veterans in their professional practice — and, together with the trainers, sought the most appropriate ways to respond.

This format made it possible to move from general recommendations to specific work situations. After all, the need for such knowledge among medical teams is not abstract — it is already part of their daily practice. It was precisely the discussion of real-life experiences that helped participants see how even a familiar phrase, question, or manner of address can influence a patient’s trust and their willingness to continue engaging with the healthcare system.

Communicating with veterans today is about treating them professionally, humanely, and with respect, taking into account their experiences and needs. It is precisely these practices that help healthcare facilities in the Sumy region become better prepared to work with veterans and other population groups who require a sensitive and tailored approach.

The project “Strengthening the Capacity of Healthcare Workers in the Sumy Region to Support Recovery and Reintegration of the Population” is being implemented by the ZDOROVI Charitable Foundation as part of the “Capable and Resistant: Sumy” project, implemented by East Europe Foundation (EEF).