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Effective Communication Is Critical for Healthcare Workers

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Submitted By bartlet
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Effective Communication is critical between heath care workers. Nurses must know how to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with teams, and each other. It is essential to have the ability to share pertinent information in an effective, timely manner. When effective communication is absent, patient care and outcomes are compromised. Communication breakdowns have been cited as a root cause in almost every sentinel event reported to the Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Database, and is the leading root cause in a majority of cases studied since 1996 (Nadzam 2009). Communication between nurses is critical to patient safety, yet numerous challenges contribute to poor communication and an unhealthy reliance on individual action. Examples include lack of structure to nurses, such as no rules for telephone, or face to face report. No model for verbal communication. Differing opinions, as to what information should be communicated during a verbal report, frequency of communication and timing of communications (Nadzam, 2009). In 2006, The Joint Commission added the handoff communication expectation as a requirement under the NPSG for improving communication. The requirement specifically expects healthcare organizations to “implement a standardized approach to handoff communications, including an opportunity to ask and respond to questions.” Hand offs, also referred to as “handover”, “report”, and “patient care transfer” are interactive communications allowing the opportunity for questioning between the giver and receiver of information. The primary objective of a “handoff” is to provide accurate information about a patient’s care, treatment and services, current condition and any recent or anticipated changes, for the purpose of ensuring the continuity and safety of the patient’s care. Key hand off communications should be

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