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Explain The Barriers Of Effective Communication In Healthcare

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How Barriers to Effective Communication in Healthcare Can be Overcome

This essay will begin by exploring what communication is and how it is defined. The components needed for communication to be effective and why effective communication is an important aspect of healthcare. It will then go on to discuss barriers to effective communication and how they can be overcome.

Communication is the process by which information is exchanged between a sender and receiver, resulting in a common understanding. The word communication originates from the Latin word communis meaning common. Therefore without a common understanding being achieved from an information exchange, communication has not taken place. It has become recognised that quality of communication in the healthcare setting is as important as practical skills and clinical knowledge and a vital component of an integrated approach to practice in healthcare. It has been demonstrated that understanding the needs and desires of the client, putting client choices and …show more content…

While the sender of a communication has to consider the language and medium used to send information in the best way they can, to be fully understood as intended, they also have to develop the skill to listen and receive information communicated back from the receiver. The author, George Bernard Shaw wrote “the greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished”. Feedback is vital in making sure information has been understood as intended and a common understanding has been achieved, if this is not the case, it provides the sender with an opportunity to respond with further information to increase clarity and understanding. Summarising (providing a verbal summary of information gathered or received) can be used throughout communication to confirm that mutual understanding has been achieved and to correct any

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