Effective Communication

Effective Communication Paper

Erica Rice

HCS/325

4 October2010

Rosemary Thuet

Effective Communication Paper

Patient care is a challenge in today’s health care environment. Even with many advances in technology, basic, effective, interpersonal communication remains essential to the provision of safe patient care. Ineffective communication is a major factor in adverse events- ineffective communication is also implicated as the leading cause in medication errors, delays in treatment, perinatal deaths and injuries, and wrong site surgery, and the second leading cause for patient falls (JCAHO, 2006). In 2006, at a Health Research and Quality Patient Safety and Health Conference, Elizabeth Dayton and Kerm Henniksen identified five factors that impeded effective communication. First, interruptions can disrupt work flow and cause a negative impact on the safe, effective completion of tasks. Second, physicians and nurses are educated in separated silos. Third, authority gradients may exist in which health care providers are afraid to “speak up”. Fourth, given the complexity of today’s health environment, it is now always clear who is responsible for what. Fifth, the multiple transitions that occur across the health care continuum are a high profile factor that increases the risk of miscommunication. The need to improve collaboration and communication among health care providers has implications for the education of future nurses, physicians and other health care providers. Organizations need to promote the kind of culture and structure that facilitates communication among all members of the team. Several organizations are reporting success with communication models that enhance communication and all members of the team to be heard. Kaiser Permanente reported improvement in the patient transfer process and a decrease in wrong site surgeries by implementing a successful communication model (Leonard at al., 2004). Effective communication is the backbone to...