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Communication in Healthcare

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Communication in Healthcare

Order Creation and Communication in Healthcare

Order creation and communication considers the complex needs of acutely ill patients by

proposing multifaceted and simultaneous thinking processes to ensure that healthcare provision

is based on teamwork. Group work in the process of providing care ensures that physicians

respect sense-making and develop mutual understanding amongst themselves. Therefore,

effective communication is crucial to enhance collaboration among healthcare providers to

ensure that they work together to address the emerging challenges in the course of accomplishing

their daily responsibilities.

Order creation and communication in healthcare promote patient focus and ensure that

clinical activities and procedures are the ultimate means to an end. Clinicians can easily

understand how to leverage the available tools and procedures in accomplishing their tasks.

Therefore, it becomes easier to complete computer systems, including order entry. Order creation

ensures that the ultimate goal of the clinical process is patient care. Effective communication

ensures that there is proper record keeping, billing, and clinicians can conduct proper outcomes

research. (Gorman, Lavelle & Ash, n.d, p.12) For example, caregivers can consider entering

orders as the principal step to serving the secondary aims. Collaboration, therefore, becomes a

priority among nurses, physicians, and therapists.

Research ascertains that orders either direct or indirect communication of orders emanate

from collaboration among healthcare professionals. Collaboration increases interaction and

negotiation among caregivers and encourage them to work as a team to fulfill the needs of

patients (Gorman, Lavelle & Ash, n.d, p.10). Notably, collaborative decision-making among

nurses, physicians, and therapists improves understanding of the overall goals, challenges,
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existing constraints, and solutions necessary to improve team performance. Communication

methods should be based on inter- and intra-hospital communications to avoid possible delays in

receipt and delivery of records, which might cost the healthcare organization a lot of money in

unnecessary expenditures.

Doctor-Patient Communication and Healthcare Quality

Effective doctor-patient communication is crucial to help the two develop trust and a

long-lasting relationship that guarantees quality care. Once there is a solid relationship between

the doctor and the patient, the latter can commit themselves to adhere to medication guidelines.

Consequently, there the relationship ensures patient satisfaction due to the good indicators that

compel them to follow treatment guidelines. Improved communication between doctors and

patients encourages clients to share their personal information with caregivers; hence, it is easier

to improve health outcomes. Note that trust directly influences patient satisfaction and the overall

quality of hospital and clinical services that the patient receives (Chandra, Masoud, & Ward,

2018, P.4). Therefore, the improved patient satisfaction ensures adherence to topnotch treatment

processes and compels caregivers to stick to the recommended prevention guidelines to attain

improved clinical outcomes. Ultimately, the patient will receive better care that conforms to the

recommended guidelines concerning health care utilization. The best method to obtain patient’s’

experiences is to revisit their reports, specifically as contained in the medical history. The

patient’s report is an accurate indicator of the exact quality of care that they have received over a

defined period.

Health Literacy Environment: Navigation, Written, and Oral Communication in

Hospitals
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Health literacy is important since it is a forerunner to health and the attainment of the

vision that prioritizes a culture of health. Additionally, health literacy promotes patient

engagement and ensures the success of healthcare reforms (Ratna, 2019, p.n.p). Therefore,

navigation, written, and oral communication during patient engagement are vital aspects of

health literacy and they are crucial for the effective engagement of patients in their own health

(Loan, Parnell, Stichler, Allen, VanFosson, & Barton, 2013, p.96). Noteworthy, patient

engagement is a vital factor that promotes the success of accountable care organizations and

improving patient centeredness in home-based care settings. Health literacy enables patients to

navigate the health systems, access health information, and value partnerships with other health

professionals (Rudd, 2013, p.1005). Therefore, literacy generally improves the quality of

information, materials, and tools. Oral and written communication support the assessment of

barriers and development of strategies necessary to improve access to health information that is

vital for navigating the health-care system. However, it is crucial to note that health literacy

organizations should be attentive and consider the workforce communication skills that facilitate

easier access to information.

Health communication

Health communication helps caregivers to address the challenges affecting individuals

and communities when they need to make decisions regarding the knowledge of health and

practices that directly affect the quality of care. Mostly, it is health communication that brings

about positive changes as regards the attitudes and self-drive that promotes healthy relations.

Therefore, many professionals have put much importance on health communication to improve

both public and personal status of health of individuals since communication enhances positive

thinking. A plethora of research proves that health communication is crucial in improving the
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various forms of thoughts and ideas when there is a need for behavior change among patients.

This implies that health communication can improve the adherence to medication guidelines

among patients while health professionals can also increase their commitment towards offering

quality and timely care. Therefore, effective health communication is a means of improving

health information exchange among stakeholders to improve the overall quality of care. For

instance, health communication improves the way physicians, doctors, and nurses comprehend

health information to enhance the quality of care as regards disease prevention and health

promotion efforts. However, health communication should be based on the understanding and

continuous improvement of communication strategies to ameliorate healthcare decisions that can

guarantee better health statuses. Consequently, communication will improve the health status and

bind populations to improve patient-provider relations; hence, reducing risk, increasing

education, and many patients will be able to access public healthcare services. Also, health

communication ensures that providers integrate the use of advanced technology to improve

communication techniques and positively impact the quality of care. Therefore, health

communication generally promotes better human and environmental health conditions that can

guarantee improved physician-patient relations, the expansion of self-help groups, and patient

education.

New Technologies for Healthcare Communication

Nurses and physicians have adopted new technologies to improve the quality of care

provision by using electronic health records, computerized provider order entry, emails, as well

as pagers. Healthcare providers have moved from the previous face-to-face communication with

their patients to improve the efficiency of communication and reduce the ambiguity of messages

within the hospital setting, especially due to intercultural communication differences (AHRQ,
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2019, p.n.p). Indeed, advanced technologies have eliminated the previously common poor

communication between caregivers and patients. Importantly, the healthcare providers can better

understand how to use communication technology in healthcare. Technology generally improve

communication between caregivers and patients with the sole aim of identifying the optimal

means of supporting effective communication.

Communication Theory in Implementation in Science

Implementation science considers communication as a transactional process.

Communication ensures that the quality of care is maintained during the process of transforming

healthcare since it is a major contributor to the shared understanding that improves human

understanding and the construction of knowledge in general. Communication facilitates the

implementation of improvement of clinical interventions since effective communication

encourages both physicians and patients to embrace safety. Communication ensures the proper

implementation of healthcare policies to reduce the adverse effects that hospitalized patients

could have experienced in the process of receiving care. Notably, effective communication

ensures that nurses conform to the implementation guidelines regarding the 24-hour surveillance

system to ensure that hospital environment is safe for patients (Manojlovich, et al., 2015, p.n.p).

For instance, surveillance ensures that professionals can detect the early signs that contribute to

the deterioration of the patients’ conditions. Therefore, effective and promote communication

raises alarm at early stages for physicians and nurses to collaborate in ways that they understand

better and act upon any problem appropriately. Therefore, communication is important for its

transactional processes, which improve information exchange, as well as the transformational

processes necessary to effect the change. Therefore, from the perspective of information

communication in implementation science, hospital administrations should create a culture that

considers communication as a process that enhances the development of shared understanding

during testing and maintaining positive relationships between communicators. Communication

enhances the social construction of knowledge in the process of implementing healthcare

decisions, especially when approached from the lens of social constructionism that greatly values

purposeful creation of knowledge.

Team Communication in the Operating Room

Teamwork is a vital component that ensures efficiency in the operating room, especially

owing to its importance in maintaining topnotch quality of care and improving patient safety.

Notably, team communication promotes effectiveness when healthcare professionals need to

create safe hospital systems. Therefore, team communication reduces errors that could have

resulted in catastrophic consequences for patients, caregivers, the hospital administration, as well

as families. Additionally, effective team communication is a forerunner to collaboration among

the professionals in the operating room because it ensures the retention of members in retained

sponges, eliminates the possibility of mismatched blood transfusions, and helps professionals

avoid wrong extremity nerve blocks (Tørring, et al., 2019, p.n.p). Team communication

promotes the socialization of novices to ensure that the implementation processes are procedural

and legal to avoid adverse impacts during surgery, nursing, and anesthetics due to the ease with

which professionals will identify communicative patterns, problematic areas, and impacts on

novices. Therefore, team communication ensures that the professionals comply with the legal

guidelines regarding the invasive procedures within the human body; hence, focusing on the

ultimate goal of curing diseases.

Improving Communication in Healthcare

Improving communication is vital in both the intra- and interhospital setting to help

healthcare providers provide quality care. Note that improved communication helps

professionals to protect patients, save on costs, and increase day-to-day efficiency of operations

in the healthcare environment. Also, integrating new technology to improve communication

ensures that patients can access better care because providers can easily access their medical

histories and reduce the adverse impacts of medical errors.

The importance of Culture and Health Communication

Culture is important in health communication because it improves health behaviors,

particularly among health care providers. Culture ensures that providers conform to treatment

guidelines and procedures to reduce the number of medical errors also, culture improves the

effectiveness of health communication, primarily when focusing on the programs and

interventions meant to improve the quality of care. Culture ensures that the hospital organization

conforms to the national health objectives and the providers will strive to eliminate potential

barriers and disparities that hinder the livery of quality care to different populations (Regis

College, 2020, p.n.p). Therefore, culture improves health communication and understanding of

the patient population so that providers can strive to meet the needs of patients.

Patient Care and Communication Systems

Communication systems used in a given healthcare facility improves the delivery of care

to patients. For instance communication systems ensure the accurate sharing of information and

discussing the proper management of patient conditions (Sapega, 2014, p.n.p). Mostly,

communication systems integrate advanced technologies to receive simpler services, including

voice-mail and electronic mail to ensure that information delivery is accurate and timely.
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References

AHRQ. (2019). The Effect of Health Information Technology on Healthcare Provider Communication

(Michigan). Digital Healthcare Research, Informing Improvement in Care Quality, Safety, and

Efficiency. https://digital.ahrq.gov/ahrq-funded-projects/effect-health-information-technology-

health-care-provider-communication#:~:text=Use%20of%20technology%20in

%20healthcare,entry%2C%20email%2C%20and%20pagers.

Chandra, S., Masoud, M. & Ward, P. (2018). Trust and Communication in a Doctor-Patient

Relationship: A Literature Review. Journal of Healthcare Communications, Vol.3 No.3:36.

https://healthcare-communications.imedpub.com/trust-and-communication-in-a-doctorpatient-

relationship-a-literature-review.pdf

Gorman, P. N., Lavelle, M. B. & Ash, J. S. (n.d). Order Creation and Communication in Healthcare.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9438/acca223de0369459ea71adcc3f467edeb29d.pdf?

_ga=2.42712741.145556480.1591491891-636746186.1591491891

Rudd, R. E. (2013). Needed action in health literacy. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(8) 1004–1010.

SAGE. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1359105312470128

Loan, L. A., Parnell, T. A., Stichler, J. F., Allen, P., VanFosson, C. A., & Barton, A. J. (2013). Call for

action: Nurses must play a critical role to enhance health literacy. Nurse Outlook, 66. PP. 97-100.

https://www.nursingoutlook.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0029-6554%2817%2930628-0

Manojlovich, M., Squires, J. E. Davies, B. & Graham, I. D. (2015). Hiding in plain sight:

communication theory in implementation science. Implementation Science, 10, Article number:

58. BMC. https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13012-015-0244-

y
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Ratna, H. (2019). The Importance of Effective Communication in Healthcare Practice. Harvard Public

Health Review, 23. http://harvardpublichealthreview.org/healthcommunication/

Regis College. (2020). What Is the Importance of Communication in Health Care? Regis College.

https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/importance-communication-health-care/#:~:text=Effective

%20communication%20%E2%80%94%20both%20intrahospital%20and,reduces%20chances

%20of%20medical%20errors.

Sapega, N. (2014). Penn Medicine News. The Role of Culture in Health. Penn Medicine. Blog.

Retrieved June 7, 2020, from https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2014/august/the-

role-of-culture-in-health

Tørring, B., Gittell, J. H., Laursen, M., Rasmussen, B. S. & Sørensen, E. E. (2019). Communication and

relationship dynamics in surgical teams in the operating room: an ethnographic study. BMC

Health Services Research, 19, Article number: 528. BMC.

https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-019-4362-0