Communication is crucial to human interaction as it allows individuals to pass information between themselves. Therefore, organisations are at risk of work conflicts and an increase in unpredictability when there is poor communication between management and workers. The problem that is currently facing the hospital is medical errors. There has been an increased in medical errors recently due to poor communication between health personnel and patients. The issue requires an intervention by the hospital’s stakeholders to promote a reliable solution for the problem, consequently improving communication between physicians and patients.
The connection between miscommunication and poor patient outcomes is established (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, 2008). Ineffective communication in healthcare can result in delayed treatment, incorrect diagnosis, prescription errors, patient harm, or even death. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare communication is, therefore, a global priority (Foronda et al., 2016). The current issue, therefore, requires an introduction of an effective structure for acquiring information from patients. After an analysis of the current situation within the hospital, reforming the patient-physician relationship is necessary.
Various possible solutions can be introduced to counter the issue. Such solutions may include; embracing technology, adopting a culture of safety, and evaluating the patient hand-off processes (West Com, 2021). These strategies can be employed to reduce medical errors often caused by poor physician-physician or physician-patient communication.
Embracing Technology
Technology is the foundation of contemporary society. As such, it is crucial to embrace it in the healthcare sector. Since it plays a crucial role in hospitals, it is vital to promote proper communication between users and the information system within the technology. According to Khairat and Gong (2010), a standard technology used in hospitals is the graphical user interface (GUI) that displays various information that may result in medical errors. GUI issues, user skills to enter or obtain the correct information, system knowledge and user interpretation, and various elements like accessing problems and working around error messages cause communication breakdown (Khairat & Gong, 2010). It is, therefore, crucial to ensure that there is proper communication between physicians and information systems.
Adopting a Culture of Safety
Instead of assigning blame, experts urge employers to adopt a mindset of shared accountability. This fosters a supportive environment in which caregivers can communicate safety concerns freely. In addition, they recommend streamlining operations in order to manage the escalating complexity of providing outstanding patient care (West Com, 2021). Promoting this culture results in proper communication between physicians. It is also crucial to involve stakeholders when adopting such a culture. Studies indicate that selecting the proper stakeholders and honestly engaging them can be just as effective as motivating the masses (Arthur, n. d). The safety culture should promote double-checking or triple-checking procedures between physicians, significantly reducing medical errors.
Evaluate Patient Hand-off Processes
The hand-offs of nurses occur within a 24-hour clinical care cycle in which the nursing, medical, and technological information pertinent to each patient must be transferred seamlessly between outgoing and incoming nurses to maintain patient safety. Quality hand-off information enables nurses to promptly notice patient status changes and anticipate potential concerns (Birmingham et al., 2015). Stakeholders should promote effective and reliable hand-offs within the hospital by encouraging and educating physicians on the process. This can be achieved by setting up seminars about the process and reducing medical errors caused by poor communication within the hospital.
The above solutions can reduce medical errors by promoting effective communication between all parties involved in the hospital setting. It is crucial to eradicating these medical errors that originate from doctor handwriting, incomplete medical orders, ordering the wrong drug dose or the wrong drug, writing the medical order in the wrong place, and not checking the patient’s bed or identification number (Topcu et al., 2017). There are various recommendations that the hospital should introduce to deal with an increase in medical errors, such as embracing technology and ensuring that all those involved with it are proficient, increasing the accuracy of information input that can be used to reduce medical errors.
Additionally, stakeholders should promote creating a model for making the hands-off process effective. This can be achieved by ensuring that outgoing and incoming physicians and nurses communicate effectively to allow them to continue their care with extensive knowledge about their patients. These recommended solutions are essential as they will be crucial in promoting effective communication among all parties within the hospital and reducing medical errors that are often fatal. For instance, embracing technology will reduce human errors while introducing an effective hands-off process will create harmony among doctors and nurses through proper communication.
Conclusively, communication is a crucial component of human being interaction. In healthcare facilities, proper communication is vital in promoting patient safety. As such, problems such as medical errors in the hospital can be reduced by communication between doctors, nurses, and patients. Embracing technology, adopting a culture of safety motivated by communication, and evaluating patient hands-off processes will reduce medical errors within the hospital.
References
Arthur W. Page Society (n. d). Authentic Advocacy How Five Leading Companies are Redefining Stakeholder Engagement.
Birmingham, P., Buffum, M. D., Blegen, M. A., & Lyndon, A. (2015). Hand-offs and patient safety: grasping the story and painting a full picture. Western journal of nursing research, 37(11), 1458–1478.
Foronda, C., MacWilliams, B., & McArthur, E. (2016). Interprofessional communication in healthcare: An integrative review. Nurse education in practice, pp. 19, 36–40.
Khairat, S., & Gong, Y. (2010). Understanding effective clinical communication in medical errors. In MEDINFO 2010 (pp. 704-708). IOS Press.
O’Daniel M, Rosenstein AH. (2008 April). Professional Communication and Team Collaboration. In: Hughes RG, editor. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). Chapter 33. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2637/
Topcu, I., Turkmen, A. S., Sahiner, N. C., Savaser, S., & Sen, H. (2017). Physicians’ and nurses’ medical errors associated with communication failures. J Pak Med Assoc, 67(4), 600–604.
West Com NCS. (2021, February 2). Preventing Medical Errors through Effective Team Communication: Strategies for Success. Preventing Medical Errors through Effective Team Communication: Strategies for Success | West-Com Nurse Call Systems (westcomncs.com)
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