The Importance Of Patient Safety And Professional Communication

The Chapelhow et al. (2005) effectively portrays a framework that provides patients with an approach to person centered care. It provides health professionals with important aspects that allow them to perform in an effective way that has the best interests of the patients at heart. The characteristics it outlines are assessment, communication, risk management, record keeping and documentation, professional decision making and managing uncertainty.

Patient safety is of major concern in healthcare settings due to the preventable nature of events that sometimes lead to serious injury, and even death, for patients. This was catapulted to the forefront of healthcare delivery in 1999 when the Institute of Medicine wrote a scathing report; To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, that highlighted "the lack of safety for patients in healthcare organizations" (Ulrich and Kear 2014). The National Patient Safety

You are so correct, it is importance for us health professionals to share a common understanding of patient safety standards and practices and improve patient safety depends largely on the ways in which we; share and learn with other health professionals as well as students. We must improve the way we treat each other by using respect and compassion, and learn from one another and from patient safety events or any challenges that impact the ability for us as health professionals, to improve is to ensure better patient outcomes and patient experience in (Milstead 2015 [Power Point slide 6-10).

Traditionally, health care was grounded on a paternalistic model where healthcare professionals were viewed as the experts in the field and directed decisions for patient, and patients were passive recipients of care (Gluyas, 2015; Mazurenko et al., 2015). In recent decades, the worldwide recognition of individual patients’ needs and preferences as an important aspect of high-quality healthcare that is responsive to the patient, has stemmed the concept of patient-centred care (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care [ACSQHC], 2011).

Quality patient centered care is vital to a hospital or clinic’s ability to treat whole patients. Dabney and Tzeng (2013) address the necessity to implement patient-centered care into clinic and hospital settings. The article clarifies what patient-centered care and service quality is by consolidating many works and sighting benefits medical professionals can observe in their practice.

Patient-centred care also referred to as person-centred care. Relates to treating an individual receiving healthcare with dignity and respect also including the patient in all decisions about their health outcome. The principles for patient centred care for all health professionals involves respect for patient’s preferences and values, emotional and physical support, education, continuity, coordination of care, and involvement of family and friends. Many health professionals including general partitioners, pharmacists and resisted nurses, focus on embedding patient-centred communication principles in health practice, which is important as there is a lot of uncertainty with patients. The type of communication approach conveys the effectiveness of

‘Clear and complete communication between health care providers is a prerequisite for safe patient management. Which is a major priority of the Joint Commission's 2008 National Patient Safety Goals and long-term care (LCT). (Commission, 2008)

Patient-Centered Care: Patients should have control over the care they receive. By involving patients and family members in their care it will result in better health outcomes. “The response of health care professionals to patients’ questions, concerns, and feedback directly influences how comfortable patients are with speaking up” (Spath, 2011, p. 236). As nurses we need to respect our patients’ wishes and give each

This essay aims to describe briefly what is meant by patient-centred care. It will also focus and expand on two key aspects of patient dignity - making choices and confidentiality. Patient-centred care (PCC) is an extensively used model in the current healthcare system (Pelzang 2010:12). PCC is interpreted as looking at the whole person and considering their individual values and needs in relation to their healthcare. By implementing a PCC approach it ensures that the person is at the very centre of any plans that are made and has a dynamic role in the decision making process (Pelzang 2010:12).

The American Nurses Association (ANA) “Code of Ethics for Nurses” (ANA, 2001) states: “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient”. This reflects that advocating for the patient directly correlates with the safety and well-being of the patient. The key part to patient advocacy is effective communication. In recent times, there has been a focus on the connection of effective communication between healthcare workers and patient safety. A number of Institute of Medicine reports has brought focus to the severe matter. The reports have emphasized the concern of the lack of communication in the healthcare setting and the resulting negative patient outcomes. (Hanks, 2012a). This goes back to the notion that while many healthcare professionals consider themselves as a working member of a team, we have the natural tendency to work autonomously. Therefore, it is the nurse’s duty to collaborate patient centered care by practicing good communication skills with the entire healthcare team, the patient, and the patient’s family if consent is given to assure patient safety.

“Organizations with a positive safety culture are characterized by communications founded on mutual trust, by shared perceptions of the importance of safety and by confidence in the efficacy of preventive measures” (Stavrianopoulos, 2012, pg, 202). Communication and teamwork go hand and hand. An effective teamwork involves effective communication. No communication can lead to possible medical errors, whether the failure to communicate comes from the patient to the nurse or between the health care providers. Evidence based care is another factor which aids in safety. “Healthcare organizations that demonstrate evidence-based best practices, including standardized processes, protocols, checklists, and guidelines, are considered to exhibit a culture of safety” (Stavrianopoulos, 2012, pg, 203). Providing better safety means learning from the past mistakes. By understanding the root of the issue, which would then lead to learning how to improve the situation. Educational training about safety should be available for medical staff to attend and learn if there was to be any doubt in he or she’s mind. Patient centered care is another factor in providing safety. It focuses on the patient and their family. Helping patient’s and family be more active in the care of the health plan can lead to safer and better

Professional Communication is a very important element in the foundation for a strong health care system. Communication can also serve as a basis for basic health care administered. Communication is not only the one tool in health care in which we can control, but also what helps prevent the derailment in patient-healthcare professional trust.. Types of model that can help express how important professional communication is within health care is the movie titled, The Doctor. There are various examples in this movie in which the importance of professional communication is portrayed and supports the argument, as well. These types of examples and supporting data can also be found in real life testimonies of what type of situations can result from lack of professional communication in the health care setting. Communication teaches the importance in human-to-human contact that some hospitals and health care setting may lack due to the certain personality type that is more attracted to the roles of doctors. Professional communication should remain at the forefront of bed side manner and proper etiquette in the health care field and setting.

Communication is the most important aspect in any kind of health care setting as it is through this that you meet the patients’ needs and wants. Without efficient communication, errors can be made, people within you care become neglected and as a result complaints are filed, patients do not feel looked after and therefore the care system is portrayed in a negative light. An example of where this happened was in Mid Staffordshire, even though this report was very concerning, it has changed the health care standards for the better. Francis (2010)

Patient provider relationships play a pivotal role in the healthcare process. This relationship helps to bridge the gap between ailments of the patient and the diagnosis and care of the provider. The need for this relationship and its propensity to create the catalyst for patients need to be fulfilled is second only to the medical knowledge of the provider and the patient 's willingness to get better. As we have moved from a biomedical perspective to a biopsychosocial perspective the relationship between provider and patient has changed from physician centered modes of communication to more of a patient centered style of communication. And with the change of view we find that a strong and cohesive bond between patient and provider is the key to the advancement and overall quality of care for the patient. According to The Impact of Patient-Centered Care on Outcomes a patient centered approach to care has a correlation to a better healthcare outcome. Focusing on the patient increases compliance of the patient.

There are a number of key elements that help to provide a framework that enhances truthful communication. Firstly, there is the need to develop open and honest communication from the very beginning of the patient-health professional relationship. Secondly, the health professional needs to use patient penchant as a “weigh” by asking them what they wish to know, how much they wish to know, and determining what they already know. In other words, it is a responsibility of the health professional to get a ‘feel’ for the situation, including the patients’ perception of the situation (Ashcroft, Dawson & Drape 2007).