Communication Between Patients-Clinician and the Interdisciplinary Team Patient’s care is dependent on patient -clinician communication and the interdisciplinary team communication. The purpose of this paper is to list the seven principles of patient-clinician communication and how they apply to my own patients. The paper will also discuss the three methods that are used by the interdisciplinary team to improve communication, and I will describe the method that I currently use on a daily basis. The ethical principles will be addressed on how they apply to communication in order to promote patient safety.
Seven Principles of Patient-Clinician Communication
The patient-clinician communication is vital in order to develop an individual care plan that meets the patient’s needs. There are seven principles of patient-clinician communication. They are mutual respect, harmonized goals, supportive environment, appropriate decision partners, the right information, transparency and full disclosure, and continuous learning (Paget, Han, Nedza, Kurtz, Racine, Russell,… and Kohorn, 2011). By adapting all seven principles, communication between the patient
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These are veracity, autonomy, and advocacy. Veracity is the principle of telling the truth. An important part to having open communication is being honest with the patients and allowing them to put their input on their healthcare needs. This allows the patient to feel a part of their care (Burkhardt and Nathaniel, 2014). As nurses we must acknowledge and respect a patient’s autonomy. Patients should be able to communicate their wishes, and we should listen and respect their decision (Burkhardt and Nathaniel, 2014). Advocacy principle is an important avenue for communication. Nurses should listen to their patients and speak up on their behalf to ensure the patient is receiving quality care (Burkhardt and Nathaniel,
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.)
rofessionals from different disciplines collaborating to provide care to patients. Effectively coordinated and collaborative inter-professional teams are essential to the care and treatment of patients (Rowlands & Callen, 2013; Doyle, 2008; Ruhstaller, Roe, Thürlimann & Nicoll, 2006; Simpson & Patton, 2012, p. 300). Communication is a process of conferring information between individuals through use of speech, writing or various other means, and is critical to the success of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) (Higgs, McAllister & Sefton, 2012, p. 5; Rowlands & Callen, 2013; Sargeant, Loney & Murphy, 2008). An MDT must use multiple strategies to enhance communication and ensure their success (Doyle, 2008). An effective MDT generates opportunities that benefit healthcare, which is the reason for the recent dominance of inter-professional care in health practice (Simpson & Patton, 2012, p. 300; Rowlands & Callen, 2013). Many barriers prevent effective communication within inter-professional teams. Lack of communication within MDTs presents challenges to their success, leading to numerous consequences, including the failure of the MDT (London Deanery, 2012; Sargeant et al, 2008). Communication between professionals is the key factor underpinning the potential success or failure of inter-professional teams, the outcome of the functioning of MDTs will either benefit or impair care of patients.
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).
Effective communication between patient and clinician is an important aspect to patient care. Proper communication has a direct positive impact on patient care and adversely poor communication has a direct negative impact on patient care. I will define the seven principles of patient-clinician communication and how I apply these communications with my patients. I will also describe the three methods currently being used to improve interdisciplinary communication and the one method that my area of practice currently uses. Then, I will explain the ethical principles that can be applied to issues in patient-clinician communication. And Lastly, the importance of ethics in communication and how patient safety is influenced by good or bad team communication.
Literature Critique This literature critique reviews Catherine McCabe’s article, Nurse-patient communication: an exploration of patients’ experiences (McCabe, 2002). She has obtained many degrees related to health care (Registered General Nurse, Bachelor of Nursing Science, Registered Nurse Teacher, and Master Level Nursing). She has many years of experience and is currently teaching at Trinity Center for Health Sciences. As stated in the title, this study will review the patient’s interactions with nurses in relation to their communication. This study used a qualitative approach, as stated within the article, by viewing the life experiences of the participants.
“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.
The health care provider should ensure that they communicate effectively with the patient/client.
Vice versa ethical principles clarify a nurse by eight factors which are autonomy, beneficence, confidentiality, fidelity, justice, non maleficence, and veracity. These virtues have hidden moral guidelines and the precepts to the nursing profession. Autonomy is defined as freedom to drive sound judgment in the clinical setting. Beneficence is my good in worth than the whole good for the patient care. Confidentiality is not exploiting information on the records and holds of the patient. Fidelity is the explicit and implicit oath of a person’s will. Justice is the strong force for what is righteous and morally disciplined. Non maleficence is doing no harm. Veracity is exact opposites which are truthful or deceive someone. These morals promote patient’s rights by promoting self governing, ensuring nurse, and act in a way that aids the patient, respecting a patient’s own info, and making faith filled and oaths. Also, a provision of appropriate, fair, and equal cares (Dohert & Purtilo, 2014).
Communication plays a major role in preventing and resolving behavior problems and enhancing your patient’s quality of life by allowing them to feel, even when they no longer know or recognize those around them that they are in the midst of people who care about them and are concerned about their physical and emotional well being.
According to Boykin “Caring is the foundation of nursing” (Boykin et al, 2011), and it is the nurses’ responsibility to understand what it means to be caring toward patients, which can be achieved through having professional communication skills. Not only does not being able to communicate affect the patient, but also it affects how the nurse is able to do his or her job to the best they can. Smith and Pressman say that the Institute of Medicine has released reports, which stress, “good communication is critical to ensuring safe and reliable nursing” (Smith & Pressman, 2010). Bad communication skills have the potential to be more dangerous to the patient and can in tern make a life-threateni...
“Effective communication is the foundation for any relationship in healthcare…” (Windover, Boissy, Rice, Gilligan, Velez, & Merlino. 2014) Without communication, it is challenging to get things done because no one knows what the other people in the group are thinking. For some, communication does not come naturally. For this reason, there are articles on how to be a better communicator. According to Karie Tennant, and Alisa Marquez, “communication is a two-way process” (2017). In this process one person should be the informer and the other needs to be an active listener. In order to be an active listener this person needs to provide the informer with feedback on what they just said. This way the informer knows the listener was really listening to what they said. The informer also has the job of making what they want to say clear and concise as well as having the correct tone to get the message across. It is always important for one to voice their opinion, but they need to also be respectful of others
The different communication styles used by female and male doctors are one of the main important factors in creating a satisfactory experience for patients. Since that is true, it is important to understand why effective communication may lead to better or worse health outcomes. Moira (1995) determined that patient health care outcomes can be improved with adequate physician-patient communication and that effective communication between practitioners and their patients, exerts a positive influence on emotional health, symptom resolution, functional and physiologic status, as well as pain control. Similarly, Street et al. (2008) explained why effective communication may lead to better or worse health outcomes, while explaining the different
Through this experience, I have become a better nurse. I am more aware of key strategies that I can use with my patients who are unable to clearly verbalize their needs, and I have a broader understanding and increased appreciation for communication. This is something many take for granted every day, and it is such an important factor in fulfilling our needs. Without communication, nurses are unable to provide care to patients because the nurses do not know what the patient’s needs are. Therefore, as nurses, it is extremely important and our responsibility to efficiently communicate with all of our patients each and every day.