Week 4: Communication in Healthcare Flashcards
What are some patient health outcomes that may result from poor communication?
Can lead to adverse outcomes such as;
- risk of patient safety
- discontinuity of care
- patient dissatisfaction
- inefficient use of valuable resources
What are some professional outcomes that may result from poor communication with patients or other HCPs?
- Misunderstanding between patient and heath care practitioner
- Missed opportunities
- Conflict
- Mistrust
- Dissemination of misinformation
Good Communication Helps to:
- Assist patients make decisions about their healthcare
- Elicit and share accurate health information and advice
- Understand & meet the patient’s needs
HCPs with good communication skills will:
- Demonstrate they are interested & have empathy for the patient
- Understand the needs of the person they are communicating with and adjust their communication style & language to suit recipient
- Increase their professional credibility by being perceived as more knowledgeable and trustworthy
What is Communication?
- Conferring through speech, writing or non-verbal means to create a shared meaning
- A two-way process: whereby talking, listening, writing and reading can be one-sided; communicating involves two or more people sharing information
What is the Two Way Process Communication?
Transactional model:
- Ensure there is a mutually shared meaning understood by both
- Provide feedback indicating the message has been understood (eg. nodding in agreement)
What is the One Way Process Communication?
- Written information, television, mail-outs, notices involve a one way process – “Linear model”
What is the Basis of Professional Communication
- Showing respect for people
- Providing appropriate evidence-based advice to support your proposed interventions
- Working within ethical & legal parameters
- Self-reflection & self-evaluation
HCPs Communicate Well When They…
Approach Communication (how)
- Determine patients’ actual needs & expectations
- Accept & respect others’ perspectives
- Foster an environment and relationship of cultural safety for the patient
Actions (what)
- Engage in a dialogue, not a monologue
- Negotiate interventions with patients
- Create a shared understanding of the situation
- Confirm there is no ambiguity in the communication
- Ensure the patient participates as actively as possible (patient rights)
- Allow sufficient time and silence for patient to reflect, think and reply
HCPs Need Communication Skills To…
- Recognise varying levels of health literacy and patient preferences, and adjust communication strategies as needed
- Communicate with, and provide accurate, unambiguous and relevant information, to other HCPs.
- Meet legal and professional obligations:
- Duty of care
- Documentation
- Transfer of information
- Most malpractice cases regarding HCPs are about, or result from, poor communication
Poor Health Literacy an lead to increased likelihood of patient impact:
- Not understanding a health condition or its treatment
- Hospitalisation for preventative conditions
- Not attending screening
- Mistakes taking medicines
- Visiting the emergency department more frequently
- Earlier mortality
How should we verbally communicate with patients?
Choose the ‘right’ words to create a clear meaning that is unambiguous and jargon-free
Keep the language:
1. Simple
2. Short
3. Specific
4. Summarise
Define Telehealth
A healthcare delivery or related activities that use any form of technology as an alternative to face-to-face consultations
Describe non-verbal communication?
- Body language and appearance can tell a lot about an individual’s health needs
- There are many ‘non-word’ parts of speech that influence the meaning of our communication (paralanguage)
What are the Types of Written Communication?
- Social media
- Email / SMS
- Referrals
- Patient notes
