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Ineffective communication in health care
Ineffective communication in health care
Why effective communication is important in healthcare
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Recommended: Ineffective communication in health care
Successfully communicating with patients is essential to the nursing practice. (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014) In order to provide competent and quality care to the patient, strong communication between the healthcare team is also of great importance. Ineffective communication has not only led to decreased patient satisfaction, but has also led to increased patient harm. (Dingley, Daugherty, Derieg, and Persing, 2008) The purpose of this paper is to discuss the principles of patient-clinician communication, methods used to improve interdisciplinary communication, and ethical principles applied to patient-clinician communication.
Principles of Communication As the world of healthcare continues to grow and become more patient focused, the ways
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This can be achieved by both partners being fully engaged and able to appreciate one another’s perspectives. (Paget et al, 2012) Once respect has been achieved between the patient and clinician, it is imperative to agree on the plan of care for the patient. Each partner needs to achieve a common understanding of the course of action to be taken for the patient, including discussion of risks, benefits, goals, and outcomes. (Paget et al, 2012) The environment in which communications take place between the patient and clinician is also critical. Not only should the location be secure enough for exchange of confidential patient information, but both the clinician and patient should be comfortable and able to speak freely. (Paget et al, …show more content…
Failures in communication between the interdisciplinary team have proven to lead in patient harm and other errors. (Dingley et al. 2008) Development of communication strategies have been implemented in many different healthcare settings to assist in decreasing errors due to poor communication. Three communication techniques have been adopted by a vast amount of healthcare organizations to better facilitate communication with the interdisciplinary team, and these are use of the SBAR technique, multidisciplinary rounds, and team huddles. (Dingley et al,
Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.)
This approach is referred to as the Interprofessional Collaboration Practice (IPC). To become an effective leader and follower, each profession will need to work together for the same goal and purpose, which is the care of the patient. By negotiating, consulting, interacting, and discussing with other team members, we reach a common understanding of the decisions being made (2011). When there is a lack of communication, information can become misunderstood and mistakes and confrontations can arise. Dufrene (2012), has stated how graduate nursing students lack the confidence to communicate with other professionals, this in part with limited opportunities during their clinical experiences.
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.
The more health care professionals collaborate, the more knowledge is used, and patient safety can be maintained. Communication is related to interprofessional collaboration, because health care professionals collaborate with each other about the patient through communicating with each other. “Collaboration among nurses, physicians, and other members of the care team can improve the outcomes of care for patients” (Engel & Prentice, 2013; IOM, 2010).
“Physicians and other health care professionals all agree on the importance of effective communication among the members of a health care team. However, there are many challenges associated with effective interprofessional (between physicians and other health care providers) communication, and these difficulties sometimes lead to unfavourable patient outcomes” (Canadian Medical Protection Association, 2011 p. 11).
Intro- Collaboration with the interdisciplinary team plays a big part in the care of a patient.
Understanding that all patients needed to be treated justly and given the opportunity to make decisions in their care is important. Not causing harm and preventing them from harm is also the duty of health care workers. These ethical principles are essential to keep in mind with interdisciplinary communication. Ineffective communication has been associated with medical errors, patient harm, and increase length of stay. Failure to communicate properly has been associated with 79% of sentinel events (Dingley, Daugherty, Derieg & Persing, 2008). Good communication has been shown to improve patient satisfaction, increase in patient safety, as well as a decrease in health care costs (Paget et al.,
The introduction paragraph gives information on communication and the impact that it has on patient-nurse relationships. It gives the reader an understanding of what is involved in true communication and how that it is a fundamental part of nursing and skills all nurses need. It leads those interested in delivering quality nursing to read on. Showing us the significance that communication makes in the
To start implementing this framework, one need to understand and acknowledge that every patient is not only different from one another, but a unique individual. Assumptions and stereotypes about a specific cultural group must be avoided, along with personal biases (Murphy, 2011). Furthermore, actively listening and fully engaging patients’ can improve nurse-patient communication and enhance patient outcome.
Communication involves the exchange of information between two or more people. Whether verbal or nonverbal, communication serves as the bridge that allows people to share ideas and thoughts. Clinical professionals converse with patients, relatives, and other professionals daily. Conversely, despite having multiple encounters with patients every day, physicians fail to enact the necessary communication and interpersonal skills to effectively listen, instill confidence, and promote following medical advice in patients.
Without communication, there is no discussion or exchange of idea. This community grows and members gain knowledge only by “active and engaging communication that results in action” (Yamin). Health professionals practice many forms of communication, but there are three important types that every member practices to keep this community functioning. One, they communicate between health facilities and share information. Second, they communicate within their own health facility to provide general care and treatment to the patients. Third, they communicate among one another to provide each individual patient with the care they need. “Communication between physicians, paramedics, and/or nurses must be clear, concise, and contain no ambiguity” (The Analysis of Medical Discourse Community). The patient’s history and care provided need to be accurately documented, either on paper or electronically. It is important that mistakes do not occur in the chain of communication between different medical professionals or it could lead to consequences. These different communication methods work together to make sure a patient receives proper treatment and care.
Communication, in healthcare, is a multidimensional concept that involves patients, family members, and a health care team. There is a direct correlation with communication, improving a patient's well being, and quality of care. Adequate communication among physicians and their patients is an actively growing research topic. Results supplied by such studies have provided effective recommendations for oncologists and their team. These recommendations include the patient-physician relationship, how physicians utilize medical information, how physicians deal with patient emotions, physician self-management, and educational conferences designed to sharpen communication. Communication is important during each phase of cancer care. Patients are concerned with a wide range of issues including pain, death, and disability. There are distinct categories that affect the way a physician communicates with a patient including physician training, communication barriers, the patients role, communication with families, communication styles, alternative treatments, communication research, as well as public awareness. A successful communication interaction implies that all parties have created a "partnership" and the patient has been fully educated on his or her condition as well as the different options to address the condition.
Despite the frequency of verbal interactions, miscommunication of patient information occurs that can lead to patient safety issues. . . . ‘Effective communication occurs when the expertise, skills, and unique perspectives of both nurses and physicians are integrated, resulting in an improvement in the quality of patient care’ (Lindeke & Sieckert, 200...
Communication involves relaying information from an individual to another through the use of verbal and nonverbal techniques. Many factors affect the effectiveness of information relay. It involves evaluating verbal aspects such as tone of voice, the emotional content being communicated, the timing and rapport of the interaction with patients, and nonverbal techniques such as facial expressions, time invested. It is necessary for productive and satisfactory work environment, improved patient outcomes, and settling conflicts. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues with ineffective communication and ways to improve proper communication throughout the a hospital’s interdisciplinary team and patients.
It is important that the patient does most of the talking throughout the interview, so that the doctor can elicit all of the information about the patient’s illness.... ... middle of paper ... ... A. (1981) The 'Standard' of Physician – Patient Communication.