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Introduction
Patient safety in the healthcare domain is beginning to gain increasing importance particularly due to the augmenting errors which occur due to ineffective or insufficient communication among members of the healthcare team (Kohn, Corrigan, Donaldson, 2000).
In fact, research suggests the existence of communication difficulties between several departments and levels of hospital and healthcare settings including doctors, doctors and nurses, between nurses and between nurses and doctors, which have often resulted in serious implications such as the death of patients (Chief Coroner, 2001). Additionally, medical catastrophes are becoming an issue of serious concern with numerous deaths being caused due to them every year, in the united States, “between 44,000 and 98,000” (Institute of Medicine, 2000 in; Sutcliffe, Lewton and Rosenthal, 2004).
As such, teamwork and communication behaviours have become the focus of studies due to their increasing importance to the safety of patients in various healthcare settings. This paper aims to analyse the importance and applicability of teamwork and communication in the health and safety of patients through a review of existing literature on the topic. By doing so, the paper also aims to explore the possible recommendations which can be applied in healthcare settings to enhance patient safety by improving the soft skills of healthcare practitioner, including communication, leadership and teamwork.
Communication and teamwork in healthcare
Following the release of “To Err is Human” by Kohn, Corrigan and Donaldson (1999), healthcare institutions have begun to take note of effective communication and team functioning in healthcare settings. It has been noted that lucid communication between patient and healthcare professionals or between professionals has several benefits and is a crucial factor impacting the success of most professions (Easter and Beach, 2004).
However, with advanced medical care facilities and rapid turnover of patients in hospitals, management of patients necessitates complex investigation and coordination by numerous specialists and staff members (Sutcliffe, Lewton and Rosenthal, 2004). As such, medical information requires complex examination which should be communicated with great care and caution to avoid errors and mishaps.
While there are several reasons resulting in barriers to effective communication, some of the more notable ones have been indicted as those occurring due to role conflicts and ambiguity, or even due to personal differences and interpersonal conflicts between nurses and professionals (Sutcliffe, Lewton and Rosenthal, 2004). Communication barriers and lack of teamwork could also occur unintentionally due to fatigue and hectic schedules of practitioners which may lead to lack of time and energy for effective communication to occur (Sutcliffe, Lewton and Rosenthal, 2004).
Whatever the reasons for inefficient communication may be, patients are at the receiving end and could end up paying substantially, sometimes with severe risks to their lives and health. Some of the more common implications of ineffective communication could be in the form of allergies which have been overlooked and failed to be communicated appropriately, delay in clinical treatments, and incorrect examination results being sent, resulting in the loss of lives.
Methods and recommendations for effective teamwork and communication
Studies and literature on teamwork and communication among healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and important experts, indicate the importance of strategies and tools to enhance patient safety by the reduction of clinical errors and mistakes in various settings such as emergency departments, surgical and operative settings and labour and delivery wards (Ferguson, 2008).
These strategies include several steps popularly termed as “TeamSTEPPS” for ensuring effectiveness of medical teams by optimizing the use of data and knowledge gained and passed on to people and resources to enhance clinical outcomes through optimal healthcare delivery to patients (Ferguson, 2008).
The program has been devised and implemented in several military settings with high rates of success and explicates the roles and functions of members of teams and groups and the creation of an atmosphere of trust. The program also facilitates cohesion in team based activities through augmented performance, accuracy and productivity which positively impacts efficiency and safety of healthcare delivery to patients (Ferguson, 2008).
Realising the importance of communication as an important process which necessitates the clear and accurate exchange of information between members of a team or group, there are clear strategies in TeamSTEPPS for its enhancement which is done on the basis of the SBAR techniques, which necessitates instant response and attention with regard to the condition of a patient. The SBAR is representative of any Situation or Background which is necessary for the Assessment of the patient and Recommendations from doctors and healthcare professionals.
Conclusion
Thus, patient safety in healthcare settings is a matter of crucial concern and necessitates strategies and programs to ensure that errors so not cause risks to the health and lives of patients. Additional strategies used for enhancing team communication include the “Call-out” strategy which is utilized for the communication of crucial information concerning the patient, for instance resuscitations. “Check-Back” Strategy refers to the procedure of using closed-loop communication in to affirm that the communication which has been sent is comprehended to the receiver perfectly without any confusion. It is therefore necessary to ensure that team work and effective communication strategies are devised to safeguard and increase the safety and security of patients in healthcare settings.
References
Chief Coroner, Province of Ontario. Inquest touching the death of Sanchia Bulgin: jury verdict and recommendations. 2001.
Easter DW, Beach W (2004) Competent patient care is dependent upon attending to empathic opportunities presented during interview sessions. Current Surgery. 61, 3, 313-318.
Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS, eds. (2000) To err is human: building a safer health system. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Ferguson, Sheri L. (2008) TeamSTEPPS: integrating teamwork principles into adult health/medical-surgical practice.(Military Nursing). MedSurg Nursing 17.2: 122(4).
Sutcliffe, Lewton and Rosenthal (2004). Communication Failures: An Insidious Contributor to Medical Mishaps. Academic Medicine, Vol. 79, No. 2.
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