Communication is Essential to Safe Patient Care
Another Skill Health Care Professionals Need to Master
Jan 26, 2009
When health care professionals lack proficiency at communicating, it is the patient who suffers. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) estimates that in 70% of 2400 severe cases it studied, lack of effective communication was the root cause for patient harm.
Rapid Fire Communication
In critical, fast paced situations such as in the emergency room, the intensive care unit, an operating room, or a delivery room, events can unfold rapidly. They can also change in an instant from fairly stable to totally chaotic. This can happen just as easily in an ordinarily calm, organized setting such as a physician’s office where the patient is being seen for a routine exam.
Learning to expect the unexpected and being prepared to focus and deal with an emergency is something that is all in a day’s work for the health care professional. Communication is central to a positive outcome.
Team Approach
Any time there is a crisis or emergency situation, a team of health care professionals converges on the scene. One takes charge and the others are expected to follow directions and to report observations.
The events and information must also be recorded in writing in the patient’s chart for future reference. The person(s) charged with this duty may have one the most difficult tasks to perform. It is not an easy task to record the patient’s status, the orders being given, the response or outcome from each intervention, as well as who did what in a chaotic scenario so that all of the pieces can be put together and documented carefully during and after the fact.
No Time for Misunderstandings
All members of the team need to be alert and focused on the tasks at hand. This is not the time for a lot of questions or misunderstandings due to the inability to communicate effectively or because of language or cultural differences. The patient’s life hangs in the hands of those involved.
Even in a very calm, organized situation, it is essential for health care professionals to communicate effectively. For instance, the nurse may have to relate a patient’s condition or concerns over the telephone to the physician. S/he has to become the eyes and ears of the physician to best communicate all of the signs and symptoms to receive orders for a new or continued plan of care. The physician has to be able to listen carefully and ask appropriate questions to elicit the information needed to make decisions that are in the best interest of the patient.
Yes, It Has to be Written Down
Written documentation is also essential for continuity of care as well as for future reference. Health care professionals have to be proficient in reading and writing in the language of the country where they practice.
Communication skills are vital to safe, effective patient care. For those who aspire to health care careers, these skills will rank in importance right up there with the technical abilities to perform the job. For those who choose to emigrate to a new country to practice, learning a new language along with cultural differences and customs can be extremely challenging, but just as important to safe and successful patient outcomes.
For further reading:
 |
