MSN program outcome #3: Use contemporary communication modalities effectively in advanced nursing roles.
Communication is an important tool in providing high quality, safest and cost effective care. Communication prevents costly errors, streamlines patient care to prevent delays, and demonstrates a united front among members of the health care team. According to the Joint Commission, nearly 60 percent of medical errors are a direct result of communication breakdown. Communication breakdown can be caused by many factors. Time is a major factor in communication breakdown. Work environments characterized by high patient acuity and staffing shortages create additional stress that contribute to communication breakdown. Advances in technology to increase quality and efficiency have also a part in communication breakdown (Flicek, 2012). The increasing complex needs of patients, seismic shifts in healthcare systems and explosion of medical knowledge demand for more effective communication. Today’s health care models are focused on maintaining health rather than responding to acute illness. A team-based approach that is centered on close collaboration among all types of providers from across the care continuum brings improved patient outcomes. As a result, to achieve the triple aim of improving quality, enhancing the patient experience and lowering healthcare costs, an improved communication strategy is essential (Deland, Gordan, & Kelly, 2015). Various communication modalities such
The interview was conducted with a registered nurse with more than 10 years’ experience. Her current role is working in the Medical Assessment and Planning Unit, in particular, the palliative care area. On a regular basis, her role involves providing safe and quality care to her patients, and more specifically end of life care. In doing so, two predominant skills of communication
“Errors in communication give rise to substantial clinical morbidity and mortality (Riesenberg, Leitzsch, & Cunningham, 2010).” As a result, the Joint Commission has identified effective communication as one of its National Patient Safety Goals (Dunsford, 2009).
In nursing profession, communication is one of the vital interprofessional collaboration competencies. A slack in communication gap will affect effective teamwork in providing efficient patient care delivery. Without integrated cooperation and effective communication, there will be a delinquency in the healthcare system, resulting in
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.
On many occasions, I have seen situations in which effective communication involving the professional healthcare team played a vital role in the positive outcome of patient care. On the other hand, there have been miscommunication between the healthcare team resulting in situations that could have been tragic to the patient.
I believe that communication is the main reason problems occur in health care. It is crucial that the health care team works together as a team and communicates any issues or concerns throughout the process of patient care. No matter how many processes are put into place or how many checklists are followed, mistakes are going to be made unless proper communication occurs. Unfortunately, these mistakes are usually at the cost of safe patient care. According to Edwards (2008), “every
According to Barry (2014), the Joint Commission has acknowledged the severity of complications associated with communication mistakes, for as much as 70% of adverse medical events, 75% of which lead to patient death, are a result of communication breakdowns. Barry (2014) also states that instances of miscommunication cause over two-thirds of adverse effects among patients. As noted by Malekzadeh, Mazluom, Etezadi, and Alireza (2013), as much as 69% of medical errors are preventable in nature and the fact that these issues still plague the field of healthcare in the 21st century is quite perplexing. Therefore, it is the goal of this charter to identify means and ways in which hand-off discrepancies may be minimized and further eliminated, by implementing a tool that will drastically decrease the percentage of handoff errors resulting from a breakdown of communication.
Patient safety, and care are the top priorities for healthcare providers, and that is why communication is greatly encouraged (Coiera, 2006). Examples of communication in the healthcare setting are face-to-face, emails, SBARs, rounds, phone calls, and meetings (Coiera, 2006). In order to disseminate information regarding the change topic, it is crucial for the stakeholders to practice good communication skills. Nurses for example give report to nurses through an SBAR, which is great because they can explain to the incoming nurse how the patient, and parent reacting to the skin-to-skin contact care (Daughtery et al., n.d). Not only is it essential for these stakeholders to communicate in the various ways listed, but it is important that they are trained, and educated enough to be able to support the
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.
It is estimated that in developing countries 1 in 10 patients are harmed during hospitalization each year (WHO, 2012). the quality of communication between healthcare professionals can influence patient safety to a great extent, the impact of communication on patient safety cannot be overstated, in fact a large scale study of adverse patient outcomes estimated that 70% were related, at least in part, to poor communication (Leonard et al. 2004 )
Medical errors and adverse health outcomes are associated with poor and inadequate communication in healthcare teams. In terms of communication styles and habits, nurses and physicians are trained conflictingly. Nurses are taught to be descriptive and wordy in their communication with their patients. However, physicians and doctors alike, are trained to be succinct and straight to the point (Foronda, MacWilliams, & McArthur,
Mr. Comer was admitted to his local community hospital for respite care. He has suffered multiple, acute strokes in the past, which has left him with severe disabilities. These include paralysis rendering him immobile, aphasia (speech loss) and dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). He relies on carers for all normal activities required for daily living (Roper et al 1996) and is advised to have a pureed diet and thickened fluids.
1) . As I look back, I could have spent more time with my nurse. Overall, today was a low-keyed day. I did a lot of vital signs, cleaning up the patient, and repositioning the patient. I did not get the chance to practice or observe any new nursing skills.
Teamwork and communication are very important in providing good quality care, especially in the healthcare field. A team is described as a group of people that works together and cooperatively, between each member of the group to reach a common goal (Sullivan, 2013). For a team to function, communication is essential. A report by McKay and Crippen (2008), as stated by Alfaro-LeFevre, (2013) showed that when collaboration is in place, hospitals can decrease their mortality rate by 41%. When mortality rate is lower, hospitals does not only decreased cost, but it also means that patients are receiving good quality care.
The theory recognized specialized technologies that are usually develop by members of the health care industry. One of these is the social or interpersonal aspect in which the mode of communication of explaining the good effects of stopping smoking and the bad effects of continuing to smoke are adjusted to age and health status. The nurse helps maintain interpersonal and intra-group for the coordination of efforts. The nurse should also maintain a therapeutic relationship in light of the psychosocial thinking mode of smokers in relation to the harmful effects of