Why Effective Communication In Healthcare Is Vital.

Poor communication?in healthcare is the number one cause of medical errors. The effects are both tangible and significant in US hospitals when measured over a five year period, with communication failures contributing to:

• 30% of all malpractice claims
• 1,744 deaths
• 1.7 billion dollars of malpractice costs.

Today we will discuss communication in healthcare, why it is suboptimal despite its importance, and how improvement could result in fewer medical mistakes and better outcomes.

Communication Issues in Modern Healthcare

Unfortunately, modern advancements are not always?ideal?for communication across healthcare channels. For example, developments in medicine have allowed for?shorter?hospital stays; however, less time spent between health professionals and patients means less communication. Additionally, technology frequently results in less face-to-face interaction, further reducing meaningful communication opportunities.?

There also appears to be a need to improve communication between general practitioners (GP’s) and specialists.?Specialists?largely agree that telephone accessibility of GP’s is suboptimal. Written communication in referral letters didn’t fare much better, with less than 30% of letters rated as good quality. Conversely, only?half?of GP’s feel specialists adequately answer their questions. Interestingly, the?parties?in question almost always place themselves more favorably in these situations.?

We can take away from these insights an apparent disconnect between what was intended and what actually is. Again, this highlights a need for improvement.?

Benefits of Effective Communication

Patient safety is the top concern driving the need for effective communication in healthcare, proven by?lack of communication?being the number one cause of in-hospital deaths.

It is generally believed that more time spent together results in more trust between medical professionals and patients. It has been demonstrated that a patient’s trust in their doctor is a?significant factor?in adherence to medical advice, which directly correlates to positive patient outcomes. Additionally, a doctor’s comprehensive understanding of their patient is also associated with compliance.

Other areas shown to be improved by effective communication include:

• Patient-Provider Interactions: Asking appropriate questions and establishing a dialogue between patients and practitioners improves patient outcomes.
• Patient Complaints and Readmissions:?Poor communication can result in early discharges, misdiagnoses, and medication errors.
• Patient Satisfaction:?A poor relationship resulting from inadequate communication between patient and practitioner can have many?adverse effects. Notably, patient adherence and malpractice claims are correlated to patient satisfaction.
• Internal Teamwork and Collaboration:?Effective communication among medical professionals?results?in improved team-based healthcare delivery, job satisfaction, and working relationships. All of which contribute to the safety of the patient.

What Can Be Done

We can conclude that better communication results in better understanding, which leads to better outcomes. Technology allows us many ways to communicate, but perhaps this isn’t always ideal, as discussed earlier. A solution that could mitigate a number of the issues in healthcare communication is the adoption of a universal case management system.?

If more practitioners adopted a standard?system?that both streamlined and standardized methods of communication, it could result in less information slipping through the cracks.