COMMUNICATIONK h a l e e l A l y a h y a , P h D , M e d

w w w . k h a l e e l a l y a h y a . n e t

RESOURCES

• 20 Ways to Communicate Effectively With YourTeam.

o By Valentine Belonwu

• Effective Communication in the Workplace: Howand Why?

o By Vartika Kashyap

• Workplace Communication: Importance, Strategies& Examples.

o By Catherine S.

Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd 2

DEFINITION

( M e r r i a m W e b s t e r )

“A process by which information is

exchanged between individuals through

a common system of symbols, signs, or

behavior.”

3Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

INTRODUCTION• Communication in a healthcare setting is one of the most important

tools we have for providing great patient care and improving patientsatisfaction.

• However, lines of communication can frequently be crossed and leadto lower patient satisfaction scores, illnesses or worse.

• According to information shared in a recent article from Becker'sHospital Review: "...more than a quarter of hospital readmissionscould be avoided with better communication among healthcare teamsand between providers and patients.“

• Every patient who comes to a hospital has a team of people involvedin providing care throughout their healing process: from doctors andnurses to housekeeping and even their family and loved ones.

• With so many parties involved, it's understandable that missteps incommunication could occur.

4Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

IMPORTANCE

• Communication is a crucial component in allsteps of the health care process.

• Whether it be a clinic accurately sharingpatient information with another facility, ora group of doctors, nurses, specialists, andother staff at a hospital discussing how totreat current and incoming patients, theneed for concise, effective communicationis always present in the health field.

• Organizations with strong communicationpolicies can enrich their patients’ health,while those that don’t have effectiveprocedures in place can negatively impactpatient well-being.

• Health care professionals and institutionsneed to recognize the importance ofcommunication in health care in order tothrive.

POOR COMMUNICATION

• According to a study published in FierceHealthcare, poor communication hasbeen a factor in 1,744 patient deaths andover $1.7 billion in malpractice costsnationally in the past five years.

• This shows that better communicationmethods would benefit both patients andhealth care providers.

• Effective communication is important forhealth care providers to protect theirpatients, save on costs, and increase day-to-day operating efficiency.

• Meanwhile, patients benefit fromincreased access to their medicalhistories, which reduces chances ofmedical errors.

5Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

PATIENT SAFETY• When considering the importance of communication in

health care, patient safety is one of the top reasons tocreate an effective communication structure in any healthcare organization.

• Inadequate communication is often a leading cause of in-hospital deaths.

o In a retrospective review of 14,000 in-hospital deaths,communication errors were found to be the lead cause,twice as frequent as errors due to inadequate clinical skill,”notes a 2006 study in the Clinical Biochemist Review.

• While communication errors can have severeconsequences, these issues are often relatively easy to fix,meaning many patient deaths caused by communicationerrors are preventable.

• That fact alone is one of the most important reasons whycommunication is so important for patient safety.

11%

19%

17%29%

24%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May

6Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

T Y P E S O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N• There are two types of communication methods that health care

institutions use that are crucial to patient safety and well-being:

• Interhospital

o Interhospital communications involve information sharingamong multiple sites or institutions.

o This includes transmissions between facilities owned by thesame organization and between separate health care entities.Moving patients from one facility to another, sending medicalrecords, and transporting vital medical equipment all requireclear communication between sites.

• Intrahospital

o Intrahospital communication is any information sharing within asingular institution — whether it involves coordinating roomchanges, scheduling surgeries, assigning further tests, or evensetting up appointments.

o When doctors, staff, and patients are not effectively sharinginformation, the efficiency of each process may decrease,potentially resulting in unnecessary costs or even danger topatients.

7Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

COMMON COMMUNICATION METHODS

• Each health care system has multiple formsof communication that administrators andstaff must be trained to use properly andefficiently.

• When even one of these communicationmethods fails, patient safety can be put atrisk.

• A minor printing mistake could lead toincorrect dosages, or incompleteinformation may keep a doctor fromknowing about a crucial allergy.

• Understanding how standardcommunication methods work is the firststep in ensuring that a hospital is running assmoothly as possible, for both the patients’and the hospital’s sake.

• The following slides are some of the mostcommon ways that hospitals and otherhealth care systems communicate andshare information:

TRANSMITTING PATIENT DATA

• Patient records are shared securelyvia interhospital and intrahospitalcommunications.

• Delays in receiving records can costhospitals millions of dollars each yearin unnecessary expenses.

• Patient data are used to create athorough medical history and provideappropriate medical care.

• When patient data aren’t sharedbetween departments or otherhealth care organizations, there maybe a much higher chance of practiceerrors and subsequent increasedcosts.

8Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

SHARING RESEARCH FINDINGS

9

• The health care industry relies on research to create and improve tools andprocedures.

• However, some third-party researchers — such as those who work for privatecompanies or pharmaceutical labs — are reluctant to share their findings withproviders because of competitive pressures in their industries.

• Lack of access to the latest research can stall medical advancement, wastefunding, and negatively impact health outcomes, according to an articlepublished by Forbes.

• For health care techniques to evolve, providers must implement communicationsystems that allow researchers to quickly and easily collaborate, both within thesame organization and across multiple organizations.

Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

C O L L A B O R AT I N G W I T H C O L L E A G U E S

• Intrahospital communication relies heavily oncollaboration between colleagues.

• Patients, lab technicians, doctors, and staff all need tobe in constant communication to create a system thatoperates as smoothly as possible.

• Inter-colleague collaboration also includes enteringinformation accurately into databases, especiallyshared ones.

• Inaccurate communication between departments canlead to errors in database entry, which, in turn, canpotentially risk patient safety.

10Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

C O O R D I N AT I N G H O S P I TA L L E A D E R S H I P

• Whether publicly or privately funded, hospitals are businesses, andthey need to operate as such.

• Hospital managers and other leaders must communicatefrequently with doctors, staff, and patients.

• All hospital leaders and managers not only oversee administrativestaff and tasks but can also play a vital role in individual patienthealth care plans.

• To be effective, they should maintain open lines of communicationwith those around them and also facilitate information sharingbetween hospital departments and with other institutions.

11Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

TELEMEDICINE ADVANCEMENTS

• Health care professionals are increasingly embracing

telemedicine, which involves using a variety of internet-

connected technologies to serve patients remotely.

• These technological tools play essential roles in health care

communications, according to the American Telemedicine

Association.

• Hospitals and other health care organizations use internal

online networks, or intranets, to create more efficient

communication processes.

• This makes patient record sharing and cross-departmental

communications much easier.

• What once may have been communicated via printed files

and memos can now be shared electronically within the

organization and sent to other organizations.

• Telemedicine goes even further by allowing patients to

receive medical care and advice from the comfort of their

own homes.

12Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

COMMUNICATION ASPECTS• Communication is much more than the words we say.

• The tone of our voice when we speak, the attention we give to what the other person issaying, the messages we give out by the way we move and position our bodies and theaccuracy and clarity of what we write are also key elements of good communication.

• The five important communication aspects:

o Listening and attending (including patient/family complaints)

▪ hearing what patients/clients are saying – really listening and attending to what they say – is a keyskill. It means paying attention to what the person is saying and working out what it reallymeans. It’s very important that we listen and attend well when patients/clients or their families areunhappy about something or want to complain.

o Non-verbal

▪ Non-verbal communication is often described as ‘body language’. Body language says a lot aboutour interest and engagement in the communication we’re having. Even when we ‘say the rightthings’, the message can be lost if our body language suggests we’re thinking something verydifferent.

o Verbal

▪ It almost goes without saying that we have to give clear attention to what we say topatients/clients. We need to ensure that what we say is clear, accurate, honest and appropriate (tothe person’s age, language/culture and level of understanding).

o Questioning

▪ Closed questions (yes or no) and open questions

o Written

▪ Health services need to keep good written records of the care given to patients/clients

13Khaleel Alyahya, PhD, MEd

QUESTIONS?

a l k h a l e e l @ k s u . e d u . s a

14