Communication can be defined as the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner (Sanchez, N, 2009). An example of communication in healthcare is between clinical professionals and staff, patients and their relatives or carers, professionals doctors, occupational therapists, social workers, midwives, physiotherapists and administration staff (Darley, 2002). For their communication to be effective, each of them needs to put the responsibility for clear communication on himself (Healthcare Benchmarks & Quality Improvement 2009) which means that each of them should endeavour to send clear messages and to receive messages with as little distortion as possible (Mind Tools Ltd, 2009).
The NHS believes that effective communication is essential for high quality service and care, and to avoid communication breakdown complaints and problems (Hamilton Mercer, 2009) such as ill informed patients, worried relatives and bad publicity Darley (2002). To avoid communication breakdown, the HPC requires radiographers to be able to use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication and to use an appropriate interpreter if necessary when communicating with service users and others (Health Professions Council’s (HPC) Standards of Proficiency - Radiographers, 2008).
Minardi and Riley (1997) state that it is very important to recognise the communication skills that may improve effectiveness. Verbal and non-verbal communication are the main forms of communication (Cant and Aroni, 2008).
Verbal communication is subdivided into the vocal category which includes spoken language, and the non-vocal category which includes written communication and communication conveyed through sign language or Braille (Communication and Language). The HPC requires Radiographers to be able to communicate information, advice, instruction and professional opinion in English (HPC’s Standards of Proficiency - Radiographers, 2008) since it is the main language in the United Kingdom (Mandy Barrow, 2009). For example, when performing an examination, they need to give clear instructions by explaining what they are doing and why they are doing it (Bach and Grant, 2009). If the receiver does not understand English, a good interpreter is needed to avoid misunderstanding. The receiver may also not understand the examiner’s professional language and as Minardi and Riley (1997) point out, the professional should explain technical terms in order to be understood.
Written communication is the ability to write effectively in a range of circumstances and for different audiences and purposes, in good English (The University of Sydney, 2009) using memorandums, reports, bulletins, job descriptions, employee manuals, electronic mail (e-mail) letters, telegrams, faxes, contracts, advertisements, brochures or news releases (Reference for business, 2010).
(2014, p. 14) due to poor communication it is one of the major problems in the medical field. This is a concern that has raised within the people working in the hospital and the common people. Poor communication has been shown an increase in death in hospitals. However, the common issue is delayed communication, which may lead to the lack of safety provided to the patients. In addition, Dekker (2016, p.44) states that the main problem in the communication systems in hospitals is among physicians. This is due to the ego among the professional people, this leads to the lack of care of the patients. This lack of communication blocks the advancement of the
Effective communication prevents medical errors, improve patient- therapist relationship, as well as prevents disappointments and friction. It is essential to find out the level of health literacy of an individual, as well as the proficiency in English. According to Divi, Koss, Schmaltz & Loeb (2007), there is a risk of patient 's safety due to the language barrier. Based on the study of Divi et al. (2007), among 832 English speaking patients and 251 patients with limited English fluency, 49% of the patients of their study have limited English fluency that associated with physical harm with a rate of 29.5% patients that are fluent in English are physically injured. Partially injured and death occurs with patients with constrained English proficiency (52.4%), as compared to patients with English fluency (35.9%) (Divi et al., 2007). Divi et al. (2007) suggested providing access to qualified language interpreters for patients with limited English proficiency to prevent more harm. Effective communicating is not only important to patients with limited, or inadequate English proficiency but also to individuals with impaired vision, hearing, and people that unable to speak.It is also important about the patient 's privacy. Another knowledge from the book mentioned above is effective communication regardless of individuals culture.
There are different forms and reason people communicate in a health and social care environment. Methods of communication used in social care settings range from verbal and non-verbal communication and as such, communication is the exchange of information between people in an organisation (BTEC, 2010). Pearson Education Limited identified the different reasons people communicate which are; to express needs; to share ideas and information; to reassure; to express feelings and/or concerns; to build relationships; socialise; to persuade, argue and inform; to compliment and gain attention; to learn, teach and educate; to ask questions and to share experiences (2013). Hence, Communication is about making contact with others, we communicate to understand and to be understood. Thus, it involves
“Communication is the heart of nursing… your ability to use your growing knowledge and yourself as an instrument of care and caring and compassion” (Koerner, 2010, as cited in Balzer-Riley, 2012, p. 2). The knowledge base which Koerner is referring to includes important concepts such as communication, assertiveness, responsibility and caring (Balzer-Riley, 2012). Furthermore, communication is complex. It includes communication with patients, patient families, doctors, co-workers, nurse managers and many others. Due to those concepts and the variety of people involved, barriers and issues are present. Knowing how to communicate efficiently can be difficult.
Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.)
Communication encompasses a wide range of processes such as the exchange of information, listening, posing of questions (Fleischer et al., 2009) or use of body language. In a healthcare environment where there are constant interactions among nurses, doctors, patients and other health professionals, professional and effective communication is important in ensuring high quality healthcare standards and meeting the individual needs of patients.
It is essential for a nurse to be able to demonstrate and practice professional communication skills, provision of information and handover to provide a holistic approach to treating and caring for patients. Professional communication skills not only allows the nurse to provide different methods and tactics to communicate with patients of different needs and ages, but it enables the nurse to understand and to give the best possible care and outcome for the patient. Provision of information and handover is another major point for nurses and relates to professional communication. Nurses need to be able to get a detailed diagnosis from the patient through communication, and therefore allows for the nurse to handover vital information to other doctors or nurses who take over to provide the correct and best possible treatments and care. The nursing profession requires a nurse to uphold professional communication, provision of information and handover in order to care for the patient with the right treatment, and to provide the best health outcome.
In the provision of a high quality care, many factors influence the way it is provided; however, IC is crucial. A healthy work environment would result from open communication among the staff, it would increase the employees and patients’ level of satisfaction and sense of well-being. Good communication is the cornerstone for the IC, it is a complex process which requires to develop some skills to learn how to transmit some information. One of the most common factors leading to medical errors, are due to miscommunication, sometimes because the message is not clearly sent, and others because it is not clearly received or it is misunderstood (Danna, 2015). In terms of communication non-verbal communication must be taken into consideration as well; body language, facial expressions, use of space, and touch, entail conscious or unconscious movements and gestures, also impacts the communication among the staff and
Qualitative research is regarded as an inductive process, which within natural settings attempts to produce insights on the subjective experiences, meanings, practices and point of views of those involved (Craig & Smyth, 2007). The aim here was to investigate factors influencing the communication styles used by the radiographers, therefore, allowing a better understanding to patient-centred care within diagnostic radiography.
... used a broad and a variety of literature review but looking on the reference list some of the literature is ten or more than ten years old which in this case cannot give enough support to the study, however Booth (2007) explain the factors that might affect communication in radiography and she gives some suggestion of how this problems might be solved. She does discuss the study clinical relevance and recommendation for further studies is stated. Overall the study can be categorised as a good qualitative study with a few pitfalls and also researcher is well informed and organised in conducting a qualitative study, the present article has a little value in radiography and probably further studies in this matter can give different results in relation to radiographer’s communication with the patients. The actual findings are not applicable to Evidence Based Practice.
Despite the frequency of verbal interactions, miscommunication of patient information occurs that can lead to patient safety issues. . . . ‘Effective communication occurs when the expertise, skills, and unique perspectives of both nurses and physicians are integrated, resulting in an improvement in the quality of patient care’ (Lindeke & Sieckert, 200...
Effective communication will be demonstrated by identifying good responses and poor responses, listening and responding, asking questions, bringing up difficult issues, addressing and disarming anger, and the effective combination of skills.
Communication involves relaying information from an individual to another through the use of verbal and nonverbal techniques. Many factors affect the effectiveness of information relay. It involves evaluating verbal aspects such as tone of voice, the emotional content being communicated, the timing and rapport of the interaction with patients, and nonverbal techniques such as facial expressions, time invested. It is necessary for productive and satisfactory work environment, improved patient outcomes, and settling conflicts. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues with ineffective communication and ways to improve proper communication throughout the a hospital’s interdisciplinary team and patients.
During the course of this semester; the variety of writing styles and essays assigned to me in my communication skills class encouraged the development of my writing skills, as well as provided me with more self-assurance in my abilities. My writing, research, and presentation abilities enhanced through practice, determination, and the understanding I gained during this course. With every single writing assignment, I learned new innovative approaches and skills, which enhanced my abilities to improve my thoughts logically, enabling me to write more clearly, and to organize my papers more effectively. At the beginning of this semester; despite the fact that I already knew the terminology MAP: message, audience, purpose; I never really understood the significance of MAP. For this reason, my writing lacked clarity, organization, and my writings appeared less focused on the topics. As a result my research papers and essays did not flow as smoothly from one passage to the next. Furthermore, I was unaccustomed with the precise procedures used when writing an essay. For instance, my previous classes before college, although requiring a reference page, did not require me to include proper citations in my writings. After evaluating the quality of my writing toward the end of the semester, I recognized vast improvements in several areas of my writing. By concentrating on the beginning stages of my writings, I could distinguish ahead of time my audience and my message. As a result, my essays are clear, and I remain on topic. In addition to that using transition phrases efficiently also helps my writing to flow smoothly. The proper use of transitions makes my writings easy to follow from one topic to the next. I also learned that pre-writing...
The effectiveness of one’s communication can significantly impact one’s ability to initiate, develop, and maintain personal, therapeutic, and interprofessional relationships. According to Casey and Wallis, “Without it, people cannot relate to those around them, make their needs and concerns known or make sense of what is happening to them,” (2011, p.35).