The Importance Of Communication In Healthcare

The practice of nursing utilizes constant communication between nurses, patients, physicians, coworkers, and various other members of the healthcare team. It is clear that effective communication is vital in the provision of safe and effective nursing care. A long history of miscommunication-related medical errors has spurred research aimed toward improving communication and lessening consequent error. Research has identified various forms of communication structure acronyms that when used correctly, allows for a more organized and precise shift report. These acronyms include SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation, and SHARE (Standardize, Hardwire, Allow opportunities to ask questions, Reinforce, and Educate). In addition, studies have identified a more effective shift report location that enhances nurse-to-nurse as well as nurse-to-patient communication. Bedside reporting was explored and determined to be a very effective form of nursing report that increases overall patient safety and satisfaction. Communication improvement is a continuous focus within the healthcare arena and is vital in the provision of safe patient care.

Using effective communication strategies between healthcare practitioners and patients is essential to ensure high-quality and safe patient outcomes. As health care becomes more complex, the focus for organizations and health care professionals is focused on processes that facilitate clear communication and collaboration, that in turn improves patient safety and outcomes (Rosenstein, Dinklin, & Munro, 2014). Successful collaboration and improved outcomes is directly related to the quality of communication. Effective communication in a healthcare organization engages staff, conveys trust, and sets expectations for accountability (Men, 2014).

Communication is one of the basic survival skills of human and also a fundamental part of nursing. Effective communication would help to promote a positive nurse-client relationship which is crucial for the delivery of quality nursing care (Sheppard, 1993; McCabe 2003).

Communication involves information being sent, received and decoded between two or more people (Balzer-Riley 2008) and involves the use of a number of communication skills; which in a nursing context generally focuses on listening and giving information to patients (Weller 2002). This process of sending and receiving messages has been described as both simple and complex (Rosengren 2000 in McCabe 2006, p.4). It is a process which is continually utilised by nurses to convey and receive information from the patient, co-workers, others they come into contact with and the patient’s family.

Communication is any form of expressing and receiving of messages between individuals. The importance of Communication in the nursing profession is to maintain high quality care for the patient but also maintain effective collaboration between professionals. Boykins, D (2014) states that the “registered nurse is expected to communicate in various formats and in all areas of practice”. Various formats include speaking to patients and coworkers as well as utilizing appropriate protocols and systems to effectively communicate regards to patient’s status.

Communication in nursing is important in patient teaching, patient understanding, and patient care; it is important to have the ability to communicate with the healthcare team, the patient, and the patient’s

Communication plays a vital role in the healthcare setting, as the relationship with the healthcare professional sets the tone of the care experience and has a powerful impact on patient satisfaction. It is “the shared process in which messages are sent and received between two or more people which are made up of a sender, receiver, and message in a particular context” (cite, date). This essay highlights the importance of, and some common barriers to, effective communication in the healthcare setting. It involves many interpersonal skills such as effective observation, questioning and listening, giving feedback, recognizing and removing barriers.

Nurses are responsible for continuing patients’ care and improving their health outcomes. Before the shift ends, nurses do bedside handover to reduce fragmentation of care and enhance continuity (Kilborn, 2014). Effective communication plays an important role in transferring of patient information between nurses. The two studies (Manias & Watson, 2014; Köberich, 2014) showed that communication problem between nurses and patient leads to the disorganised patient report, interruptions, lack of patient health information, language problem and confusion between the roles of the healthcare team (Manias & Watson, 2014; Köberich, 2014). Bradley and Mott (2014) and Kerr, McKay, Klim, Kelly & McCann (2013) stated that involving patients in decision-making is important part bedside handover as they can make decisions related to their treatment

Describe strategies you gained from the course for improving outcomes of care and patient safety in the setting in which you are engaged in. Provide examples and rationale.

Communication is important in terms of health and social care setting. The patient and the healthcare professional needs to get the best understanding in order to provide the patient clearly about their care. Nursing is almost impossible if the patient needs are not clearly established. Communication facilitates the patient

Yet, communication is a learned skill that must be cultivated and built on especially in the health care setting with nurse to patient communication (Burkhart & Nathaniel (2008). In this paper, I will be discussing the principles of communication, methods of communication, and the ethical principles involved

Nurses must be able to learn from each other, their seniors, and even patients on how to enhance the quality of care they provide. Through teaching and learning, nurses will understand that individual patients have varied preferences, values, needs, and respond well to different kinds of medication. In addition, continuous teaching and learning processes will enable nurses to know that individual patients experience varied side effects of the same prescribed medicines (Davis, Schoenbaum & Audet, 2005). Thus, nurses will understand the importance of consulting with individual patients while providing health care services to patients, and that illuminates the significance of patient-centered care in the U.S. health care system. As nurses a huge part of our duty is teaching the patient and our teaching cannot be effective if our communication is not the best, therefore we need to change the way we communicate in order for our patients to understand. Efficiency in health care services can as well be attained through proper communication. Other than communicating with fellow medical professionals in medical facilities while providing care to patients, nurses are directly obliged to communicate with their patients to find out their values and preferences when making clinical decisions. Essentially, consultation with patients, which is a major component of patient-centered care, is necessary

Throughout the Resident Care Conference, our team demonstrated effective communication techniques such as simplicity, active listening and eye contact. First, Simplicity of words is using general words or choosing words to make it easier to understand (Kozier , et al, 2014 ) . For example, during the IPE event, instead of using medical words, health care professionals choose words that simple words like: difficulty in swallowing instead of using the word "dysphagia". Simplicity of words are making easier for the client to easily understand the information that the health care team is trying to explain. Second, active listening is paying attention to what is the client and/or family member is telling to the health care team regards to the client's health concern.

The Healthy People 2020 initiative includes goals to increase the number of patients who report that their healthcare providers listened to them carefully to 65% and increase the number of patients who report that their healthcare provider explained things so they could understand them to 66% (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). The nursing profession plays an important role in making progress toward these goals through advocacy for effective communication. Being able to effectively communicate with patients is an essential skill for healthcare providers, especially

Communication is only effective when the receiver understands the message conveyed just as the sender wanted to. There are opportunities for improvement in the areas of communication network within Baptist Memorial Healthcare. I have observed a breakdown in communication between nurses and the patients they are caring for. A lot of times the nurse companion phones that the nurses are issued do not work properly. In this instance, the nurse is unaware of patient’s specific needs. There is not a direct line of communication to inform the nurse that the patient needs assistance. The organization is aware of this fact and is implementing training on new nurse companion phones, so that; the needs of the patient are met in a timely fashion. There