The Link Between Poor Communication And Patient Safety

Communication in the healthcare field may be a little different for some people. Healthcare requires the communication to have a purpose, and that purpose is revolved around a person’s needs. A patient with good staff communication during

Within a health care setting communication is a necessity. This communication not only includes the need for professional communication but also the way in which information is shared to the patient and to other healthcare workers. Another important aspect of health care worker such as a nurse is the effectiveness off a handover. Within the video, Effective Communication in nursing these three aspects of communication (Professional communication, provision of information and handover) were seen and will be analysed further, within this essay. These will be analysed through the three aspects, the care of the patient, the image of the individual nurse and the health outcomes of the patient. All of these three aspects of communication are vitally important to the overall patient needs.

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.

Effective communication is crucial aspect of nursing yet too often is placed low on the priority list, especially at shift change. Information related to the care of patients is frequently disseminated at a crowded, noisy nurse station with several nurses rushing to leave and others attempting to get the information necessary to plan care and limit the constant distractions. It is this interaction that allows for information vital patient safety information to be communicated including the acuity of patients.

Missed or ineffective communication can have severe consequences to the life of a patient. A patient’s clinical condition can deteriorate very quickly and the ability to communicate nursing assessment data rapidly and in a way that will be effectively received can

Interdepartmental communication and medical errors have both been proven as causes of harm to patients in health care settings. When there are gaps in communications between nurses changing shifts or patient transitions from one department to another, medical errors can occur and cause harm to patients. Even though there has been improvement in recognition of these problems and actions taken to reduce communication gaps and medical errors, there still needs to be more work, especially in individual facilities.

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 with patients and other doctors is a key aspect in keeping a nursing job. Since a nurse is often a patient’s advocate as well as a link between family members and hospital staff, the ability to effectively speak and listen is critically important (New to Nursing).

Effective communication during a patient handoff is critical in ensuring patient-care quality and safety and bedside shift reports have been found to increase patient involvement and satisfaction (Wakefield, Ragan, Brandt, and Tregnago, 2012). Bedside shift report is viewed as an opportunity to reduce errors and ensure improved communication between nurses (Gregory, Tan, Tilrico, Edwardson, and Gamm, 2014). Improved communication between nurses can be beneficial for all involved. In response to the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals, bedside report has been supported as improving patient safety, patient-centered care, and nurse communication as well as reducing medical errors (Gregory, et al., 2014). Ofori-Atta, Biniend, and Chalupka’s (2015) article examines statistics regarding hospital care and shows that according to the Inspector General Office, Health and Human Services

The Hospital environment can offer some practical challenges that could be barriers in communications. Many patients have individual needs and this can impede on a nurses time and emotions. Nurses put in long hours and have a high patient/nurse ratio or shortage of healthcare workers. Nurses/personnel have to deal with emergencies in an already challenging and busy hospital setting. Dealing with patients takes mental acuity and emotional support and sensitivity. Hospital guidelines might not have sufficient communication practices among personnel in place.

Communication breakdown is among the leading cause of medical errors such as gaps in health care, incomplete or missing information, and medication errors. Most importantly, communication supports the foundation of patient care. According to The Joint Commission (formerly Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO]) improved communication among nurses during shift changes reduces injuries due to medical errors by 30 percent. So, hand-off reporting during shift change is a critical process that is crucial in protecting a patient’s safety. Throughout the hand-off report, it is vital to provide accurate, up-to- date and pertinent information to the oncoming nurse. An estimate of 80 percent of the most serious medical

Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers is a quality improvement program that has been used throughout health care settings worldwide. Its main goals are to decrease hospitalizations and readmissions, with an overall aim of improving quality of care (Ouslander et al., 2014). Interact’s website provides health care facilities with affordable and easy to use “tool kits” that are based on five fundamental strategies including; principles of quality improvement, early identification and evaluation of changes in condition, management of common changes in condition, improved advance care planning, and improved communication and documentation (Ouslander et al., 2014). By using the tools health care providers can help prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and related complications, at the same time receive financial

Written communication in healthcare system comprises of care plans, daily reports, handover sheets ,medication sheets in general ,(record keeping). These clinical records are essential skills of communication that a nurse should be able to write as well as extracting vital information from which to provide relevant and precise care. This makes continuity of necessary care possible and fulfils one of NMC’s (2008) core principles of the code of working with others to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of those in nurse’s care and obligation to ensure total and effective information is communicated to your colleagues concerning people in your care (NMC 2010). These records help to increase answerability to the part of the nurse if the nurse is aware of this will be more considerate knowing that any mistake will come around. In addition these records help as the basis for decision –making for nurses and multi-disciplinary team of which the nurse

Communication is very important when it comes to the information that nurses are given when treating a patient. If there is not good communication between nurses, especially between shifts and handoffs, consequences can happen, including the possibility of a sentinel event. According to Yoost and Crawford, 70% of the sentinel events that happened in 2005 were due to communication breakdown, with communication breakdowns during handoffs being the reason behind 50% of these events (p.137). There are different ways that nurses can handoff information to another nurse, with bedside report being one of the ways that is suggested to reduce the amount of communication errors. This paper will explain what makes bedside report safer for the patients

Effective communication is of tantamount importance in the scope of a successful nursing practice. It depends heavily upon both verbal and non-verbal methods (AJN). It is inclusive of both behavioral and speech components. Being efficient in both delivering and receiving messages between the nurse and the patient helps initiate and maintain a healthy relationship. Employing both verbal and non-verbal communication between the nurse and the patient will help ensure that the relationship they share remains satisfying to both parties.