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The importance of communication in healthcare
Reflections on communication in healthcare
Reflections on communication in healthcare
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Communication is very important in health care. We as nurses are the ones who have to implement orders we receive from the doctors or NPs. We have to make sure we get the correct orders and fully understand what they mean. In a linear model, a person tells you something, and the receiver follows the senders request without question or feedback. A circular model allows for more open communication and feedback between everyone involved.
Most communication in my unit is more circular than linear. The nurses are very involved in the patient’s care and talk directly with the NPs. The NPs then make suggestions during rounds but the doctors to make the ultimate decision. Recently, I had a first time mom with twins. I worked night shift and she did
This year I am most excited about learning how to better communicate with children and being able to see how communication changes depending on their stage of development. I’m excited to learn how to accurately take blood pressure and other vital signs like pulse and respiration. As well as, being able to identify any values that are abnormal. I am also eager to learn how to appropriately express these abnormal finds to my young patients without igniting fear.
In healthcare one of the major obstacles employees attempt to overcome is the communication gap. The outpatient clinics in particular find it challenging to keep in contact with the hospital. In the healthcare market to have success you must have communication. Romano observed that hospitals are branching out; outpatient setting offer lucrative services that are rendered in a well-situated environment (2006). The outpatient sector is where the profit is made; this is clearly the way of the future. If prospective clinics are to fulfill patient and employees needs, a communication policy must be put into practice. By employing a communication strategy employees will be more productive, more informed, and administration could expect to see enhanced customer service.
Communication encompasses a wide range of processes such as the exchange of information, listening, posing of questions (Fleischer et al., 2009) or use of body language. In a healthcare environment where there are constant interactions among nurses, doctors, patients and other health professionals, professional and effective communication is important in ensuring high quality healthcare standards and meeting the individual needs of patients.
As a nurse, it is part of our job to communicate with doctors and those above and around us. If nurses are able to communicate effectively, the flow and shared pool of knowledge can increase a group’s ability to make better decisions and utilize all resources Whether it is avoiding the issue, lashing out in confrontation, or in a clam manner. By identifying reactions to crucial conversations, it allows for a better look at the situation and deal with it up front. These tools can also be used to look at how others will deal with a crucial conversation, and to help better a response (Maxfield et al., 2005b; Patterson et al., 2012; The Joint Commission, 2008).
Firstly, communication is the most essential component in nursing profession. In every workplace, communication contains writing, speaking, listening and identifying others ways to interact. According to Dwyer 2012, communication is the process of sending and receiving information between two or more people. In nursing profession, communication plays a crucial role in patient’s health and workplace to run smoothly and effectively. In this field nurses have to interact with patients, families, doctors and health professionals to provide information and quality care. In nursing profession nurses have to deal with different types of patient. For instance; deaf, disable, you...
This paper employs multiple research techniques and sources to give a holistic analyst of the partnerships developed with people from different division of a healthcare organization. I identify problems from my personal experience as an Ophthalmic Technician and System Analyst for the Department of Ophthalmology at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The Literature Review, Analysis, and Solutions sections are based on research and without personal reflection. This paper addresses two questions. First, has Personal Health Records (PHR) made communication simpler and safer for the healthcare industry? Second, how to improve communication between Information Technology services and Healthcare providers? These two questions are important to understand an organization’s behavior as it adopts new technology.
“Communication is the heart of nursing… your ability to use your growing knowledge and yourself as an instrument of care and caring and compassion” (Koerner, 2010, as cited in Balzer-Riley, 2012, p. 2). The knowledge base which Koerner is referring to includes important concepts such as communication, assertiveness, responsibility and caring (Balzer-Riley, 2012). Furthermore, communication is complex. It includes communication with patients, patient families, doctors, co-workers, nurse managers and many others. Due to those concepts and the variety of people involved, barriers and issues are present. Knowing how to communicate efficiently can be difficult.
Robinson, F. P., Gorman, G., Slimmer, L., & Yudkowsky, R. (2010). Perceptions of effective and ineffective nurse–physician communication in hospitals.Nursing Forum, 45(3), 206-216.
It is essential for a nurse to be able to demonstrate and practice professional communication skills, provision of information and handover to provide a holistic approach to treating and caring for patients. Professional communication skills not only allows the nurse to provide different methods and tactics to communicate with patients of different needs and ages, but it enables the nurse to understand and to give the best possible care and outcome for the patient. Provision of information and handover is another major point for nurses and relates to professional communication. Nurses need to be able to get a detailed diagnosis from the patient through communication, and therefore allows for the nurse to handover vital information to other doctors or nurses who take over to provide the correct and best possible treatments and care. The nursing profession requires a nurse to uphold professional communication, provision of information and handover in order to care for the patient with the right treatment, and to provide the best health outcome.
Firstly, Nurses must develop the right communication tools when dealing with their patients. For example most nurses do bedside reporting, before they change their shift in the morning, therefore they would be relaying information to the other nurse about the patient they dealt with during the night. The nurse that is going off shift would give a report to the incoming nurse in the presence of the patient. He or she has to discuss the condition of the patient, medications and the procedures so the next nurse would be on the same level. Most nurses in the General Hospital do their reporting by the bedside of their patients.
Communication in the nursing practice and in healthcare is important because when talking with patients, their families, and staff, the nurse and the nursing student needs to be able to efficiently express the information that they want the other person to understand. “Verbal communication is a primary way of transmitting vital information concerning patient issues in hospital settings” (Raica, 2009, para. 1). When proper communication skills are lacking in nursing practice, the chances of errors and risks to the patient’s safety increases. One crucial aspect of communication that affects the patient care outcome is how the nurse and the nursing student interacts and communicates with the physicians and other staff members. If the nurse is not clear and concise when relaying patient information to other members of the healthcare team the patient care may be below the expected quality.
Timing is key; nurses and other members of the interdisciplinary team have to be aware of the best times to communicate with a patient (O’Hagan et. al., 2014). This is best complimented when nurses have established great rapport with the patients and their families. Patients are much more accepting of timing when they are interrupted and issues that arose when they trust the nurse (O’Hagan et .al., 2014). An example is if a patient just died and the family has to go through certain rituals, however, nursing care has to be completed as well. If the nurse has rapport with the family, they are more accepting of these hospital policies especially when they have been communicated at an appropriate
This would include, treatment plans, costs, and any benefits and risks (Paget, et al., 2011). Teach back would be a great source of patient understanding. Another principal to communication is transparency and full disclosure. It is important for nurses to inform their patients of their options for treatment. It is also important for the nurse to encourage patients to inform them of all information that could affect their treatment.
Healthcare is the fastest-growing industry in America, because health affects every facet of all Americans’ lives. People are living longer and longer than before. The lengthier life expectancy is due to advancements in the science and delivery of healthcare. Health communication has been an essential aspect of the delivery of healthcare. Also, health communication makes an impact and influence on healthcare policy and political initiatives, therefore, affects the health and lives of the people. Thus, it is important to understand the health communication’s overview, planning processes, techniques, and methods that affect and influence healthcare policy and political initiatives.
Doctor Patient Communication The main purpose of the medical interview is to collect historical information that can be used to make a diagnosis of the disease and to understand the patient’s problem. Henderson, 11 This is the beginning of the physician – patient relationship. The interview generally begins by the doctor greeting the patient, introducing himself/herself, and defining his/her professional role. Common courtesy dictates that the physician learns the patient’s name and refers to them with the proper title.