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SWOT TOPIC: LACK OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HEALTH

CARE PROVIDERS

Author’s Name Surname

Department of X, Name of Institution

Course number: Course Title

Instructor’s Name Surname

Month Day, Year

SWOT TOPIC: LACK OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HEALTH CARE

PROVIDERS

Effective communication among healthcare providers is essential because it enables

professionals with varying disciplines to coordinate and serve a single patient. A communication

breakdown among these specialists may negatively affect the patient's health outcomes.

Communication is essential in the relationship between the nursing staff, physicians, and other

specialists in treating the patient. Health care is a collaborative effort that involves multiple

disciplines, especially in the case of inpatients. Lack of effective communication among nurses

during shift change is responsible for eighty percent of medical errors (Janagama et al., 2020).

Physicians rely on nurses for accurate patient information. Thus, a breakdown of information

would result in patient safety issues.

As the primary caregivers, nurses are responsible for monitoring patients’ progress, maintaining

patient records, and acting as an interface between the patient and other medical practitioners.

Thus, nurses should possess excellent communication skills. Nurses should communicate

efficiently, accurately, and with detail (Sari et al., 2021). Effective communication should,

therefore, be part of the nursing department's policies. According to Kulinska, Rypicz, and

Zatonska (2022), effective nurse-patient communication fosters the patient’s trust, perception of

safety, and general satisfaction.

Consequently, the nurse leader should emphasize the need for clear communication between

nurses, physicians, patients, and other nurses. Interpersonal communication may be assessed

by medium, behavior, and language. The medium is the means of communication. Is it word of

mouth, written on a document, or transmitted electronically? Language refers to word choice,

while behavior refers to methods used to convey vision, status, and formality (Fowler et al.,
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2021). The quality of communication emanating from the nursing department largely depends

on the nursing manager's competence and leadership skills.

As mentioned earlier, lack of effective communication exposes patients to risks in so far as

patient safety is concerned. Thus, the nurse leader should be accountable for the quality of

communication between nurses and other medical professionals (Amudha et al., 2018). The

nature of nurse-physician relationships determines the quality of interdepartmental

communications. According to Amudha et al. (2018), nurse-physician relationships are

predicated on social status, gender, and power of authority. The pecking order in hospitals

places physicians above nurses. However, the symbiotic nature of the relationship deems the

former indispensable in the delivery of care. Nurses are more likely to identify emerging

symptoms, incorrect treatment, and adverse reactions to medication. Communication of these

issues to the physicians would result in positive health outcomes. Conversely, incorrect

information, such as mislabeling of patient charts, may result in adverse health outcomes.

The adoption of technology can enhance interdisciplinary communication in health care. Data-

driven communication can reduce errors by allowing health practitioners instant and updated

patient information (McNulty, 2023). Thereby overcoming the interdisciplinary barriers such as

social status. Physicians may access information nurses convey to determine the best course of

treatment and convey instructions to the attending nurses. The medium also prevents errors

nurses commit due to miscommunication during shift handover. Technology also enhances

accountability among nurses because it enables the nurse leader to track instances of non-

adherence to procedures. The nurse leader and hospital administrators use the data derived

from technology to ensure safety, accountability, and quality care. However, this mode of

communication may be limited because it may not allow the conveyor of information to include

detailed information. Verbal communication is better because it allows the receiver to ask follow-
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up questions. The nurse leader sets the tone for communication and accountability among

nurses.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is essential in regulating interdisciplinary communication

between nurses and other healthcare workers and delivering safe and quality healthcare.

Standard handoff protocols and multidisciplinary rounds are examples of EBPs that could be

applied to ensure safety. As stated earlier, miscommunication during handoff is one of the major

causes of medical errors among nurses. Adopting structured handoff tools can drastically

reduce the probability of miscommunication and errors (O'Leary et al., 2015). Tools such as

ISBAR, COWS, HANDS, Safer Sign Out, and Smart Sign Out ensure continuity of care and

patient safety. The information in the communication tools is simple to understand, concise,

memorable, and logically structured (Suganandam, 2018; Ghosh et al., 2021). The use of these

tools prevents errors emanating from a communication breakdown.

Multidisciplinary Rounds (MDRs) refer to interdepartmental regular meetings among health

workers to discuss patient care plans, progress, and goals. The MDRs enable nursing staff to

interact with other health workers. The MDRs use EBPs as the source of patient information

because they contain vital patient information (O’Leary et al., 2016). The O’Leary (2016) study

demonstrated that the implementation of structured MDRs fostered substantial interdisciplinary

communication, enhanced adherence to evidence-based guidelines, and reduced instances of

errors. The MDRs contributed to improved patient safety and quality of care.

In conclusion, effective interdisciplinary communication in healthcare ensures positive patient

outcomes. Communication breakdowns result in medical errors and put patient safety at risk. As

the primary caregivers, nurses are critical in facilitating patient communication with other health

workers. Thus, they should possess excellent communication skills. Nurse leaders should

promote clear communication protocols that foster optimal interdisciplinary collaboration. Nurse

leaders should also emphasize applying communication technology and EBRs, such as
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standardized handoff protocols and MDRs. Effective communication protocols mitigate risks in

health care while promoting safety, quality of care, and patient satisfaction.

References

Amudha, P., Hamidah., Annamma, K. & Ananth, N. (2018). Effective communication between

nurses and doctors: Barriers as perceived by nurses. J Nurs Care 7:455. DOI:10.4172/2167-

1168.1000455

Fowler, K., Robbins, L. & Lucero, A. (2021). Nurse manager communication and outcomes for

nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Management 2021;00:1.10

DOI:10.1111/jonm.13324

Ghosh, S., Ramamoorthy, L. & Pottakat, B. (2021). Impact of structured clinical handover

protocol on communication and patient satisfaction. Journal of Patient Experience 1-6

DOI:10.117/2374373521997733

Janagama, S., Strehlow, M., Rao, G., Matheson L., M., S. & Newberry, J. (2020). Critical

communication: A cross-sectional study of signout at the prehospital and hospital interface.

Cureus 12(2): e7114. DOI:10.7759/cureus.7114

Kulinska, J., Rypicz, L. & Zatonska, K. (2022). The impact of effective communication on

perceptions of patient safety: A prospective study in selected Polish hospitals. International

Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, 9174.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159174

McNulty, E.(2023). Improving nursing leadership communication: Fierce conversations training.

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. June 2023 27:3

O'Leary, K. J., Kulkarni, N., Landler, M. P., Jeon, J., Hahn, K. J., Englert, K. M. & Williams, M. V.

(2015). Hospitalized patients' understanding of their plan of care. Mayo Clinic Proceedings,

90(11), 1512-1521

O’Leary, K. J., Buck, R., Fligiel, H. M., Haviley, C., Slade, M. E., & Williams, M. V. (2016).

Structured interdisciplinary rounds in a medical teaching unit: improving patient safety. Archives

of Internal Medicine, 166(7), 680–686.

Sari, D., Kartikasari, D., & Ulfah, N. (2020). Impact of effective communication on the quality of

excellent service and patient satisfaction in the outpatient department. The 2nd International

Scientific Meeting on Public Health and Sports (ISMoPHS, 2020), KnE Life Sciences, Pages

232-244. DOI:10.1852/kls.v0i0.8883

Suganandam, D. (2018). Handoff Communication: Hallmark of nurses. Indian Journal of

Continuing Nursing Education Vol. 19, No. (1), January - June 2018 12-19.