Lack of Communication Is the Biggest Problem in Healthcare Today

Problem Statement & Introduction

One of the major problems in healthcare today is the ineffective communication among hospital personnel, patients and their families, and the effect it has on patient safety. Communication, as a whole, is very complex and is the root of teamwork and collaboration which aids in keeping patients safe in the hospital. Throughout the healthcare field today patient-centered care and patient safety seem to be major focus points. Unfortunately, ineffective communication can potentially cause patient harm and even death. The breech in ineffective communication between hospital staff and family was clearly portrayed in the story of Lewis Blackman. The lack of both communication, not just verbally but through documentation as well, and interdisciplinary collaboration were major factors that lead to the death of Lewis. Educational programs based on positive communication techniques that enhance collaboration, satisfaction within the hierarchy of the healthcare system, and patient-centered care should be implemented to ensure the safety of patients today.

Background Information

Lewis Blackman was a 15 year old boy born with a congenital chest deformity known as pectus- excavatum (Haskell, 2009). Doctors informed Lewis and his family about a new minimally invasive procedure that could fix his condition. Lewis and his family decided to have elective surgery which unfortunately resulted in many complications which led to his death. After surgery it seems as if there was a chain of miscommunication between both nurses and physicians. Poor teamwork, collaboration, and lack of communication were also seen from the health care team during the interactions with the patient and his family. Lewis’s mother was not view...

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...of care. They also need to be included in all decisions made during their stay. This can be achieved through better communication techniques between health care providers and the patient and their family. Doctors and nurses need to work together in order to impact patient and family satisfaction, patient-centered care, and more importantly patient safety.

Summary and Conclusion

The importance of effective communication is clearly portrayed throughout the three themes discussed in this paper; collaboration, overall satisfaction, and patient-centered care. Without proper communication skills these three constructs can not properly function. When collaboration is utilized it not only improves patient-centered care but it improves overall satisfaction of staff and patients as well. These combined improve one of the major concepts in healthcare today, which is safety.