Communication and Teamwork: Their Impact on Healthcare Quality

This assignment aims to define and discuss how communication and teamwork influences the quality health care given to patients by health care practitioners. The essay will look at each of these factors separately but also discusses how they influence each other and the positive and negative impact they have on the patients’ quality of care.

Communication is one of the foundation stones of clinical governance to ensure HCPs deliver a quality health service it is also one of the 6Cs recently introduced by the NHS referring to Compassion, Care, Communication, Confidence, Competence and Courage (NHS England, 2013 cited in (Ndoro, 2014).

Communication is an essential tool of a HCP and defines the first impression a patient receives.

According to Collins (2009) effective communication follows a cycle of 4 components:

For example, simplifying the information, requesting an interpreter or having information enlarged for a partially sighted patient. (Tidy, 2013),(Bach, 2009).Being able to adapt to a patient with dementia by simplifying the content of information given, asking closed questions to ensure the patient has a true understanding of their options, ensuring that the patient’s family and carers understand what is being said (Jootun & McGhee, 2011)&alzmeir) Such strategies ensure that patients are well informed and can access treatment and are provided with the highest quality of care (Jootun & McGhee, 2011; Sarcevic, Marsic, & Burd, 2012). (Bramhall, 2014)When communication works well practitioners can develop a positive therapeutic relationship with the patient, built on values of trust and respect. This contributes to an increase in patient satisfaction and the patient has a better understanding of their condition, resulting in a positive clinical outcome (Jootun & McGhee,