Effective communication within an inter-professional setting is one of the factors needed to provide safe and quality care. Communication that exists between people and different entities will either result in effective interactions with elevated results, or ineffective communication, resulting in a low quality of care (Verhaegh et al., 2017). To support effective inter-professional communication across acute care environments, proper strategies, such as clear communication and offering timely communication, should be applied. Most hospitals are evaluated based on their compliance with communication standards that are based on the patient. The delivery of healthcare services is complicated, calling for clear and timely communication between a wide range of disciplines. Poor communication and miscommunication have often been identified as the primary cause of errors, lower quality, and poor health outcomes.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations establishes that patients can interact with almost 50 members of staff within their 4-day hospital stay (Chang et al., 2005). As miscommunication can occur easily, calling for healthcare institutions to create and implement tools and training programs to improve communication across the firm. Positive communication is an essential ingredient that exists within the culture of effective organizations (Delunas et al., 2014). Leadership activities that will have a positive impact on the culture of the firm have to be well-defined. This plan will result in a level of support that will encourage staff in their early identification of problems and be motivated to engage in the exploration of solutions while assisting with implementation.
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Professional nursing practices call for communication to be established at a very effective level. The development of trusting relationships with patients, the advocacy for their needs, the provision of patient-centered care, and establishing high-quality care are important. The scope of standards of practices, structured by the American Nurses Association, acts as a framework for the nurses that have been registered. The ninth standard, which focuses on communication, establishes that the registered nurses should be expected to communicate effectively in different areas of practice (ANA, 2015). There are several competencies that are detailed within the communication standard. These competencies include the assessment of an individual’s communication skills, the demonstration of cultural empathy, and the maintenance of communication with the inter-professional team. The nurse is also expected to assess their communication abilities, level of education, and preferences of the users of healthcare services for the information of the inter-professional team.
The healthy work environmental model, created by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), was structured to enhance practice environments and nursing practice through the implementation of evidence-based standards to guide nursing activities (AACC, 2005). These standards exist to enhance and establish a healthy working environment. The first standard within the model is skilled communication, which states the need for proficiency within the communication. Proficiency in communication is defined as a necessary component for all of the nurses that interact with the patient each day. Inter-professional communication happens when healthcare workers communicate among themselves, to patients, and the community in a clear, collaborative, and responsible manner (Verhaegh et al., 2017). This form of communication creates trust during clinical interactions supporting better outcomes. It creates trust and understanding, which results in better person-centered health outcomes. In inter-professional communication, all members of the healthcare team have a specific role and function. All of the members of the team engage in active listening while paying attention to non-verbal communication. These members are also expected to come to a common understanding concerning care decisions. Finding and sharing relevant information is the main goal of an inter-professional healthcare team.
Three Different Nursing Roles
Interdisciplinary communication is essential for different nursing roles within a healthcare organization. An assessment of different roles is necessary to establish the varying applications of well-structured communication skills in different nursing positions. One of these roles is that of the bedside nurse. In the role of the bedside nurse, communication is critical for the nurse to carry out their roles. The importance of communication is specifically observed in nurse bedside reporting. Bedside reports are an essential tool for improving patient safety outcomes. It supports both the incoming and outgoing nurses to engage in the assessment of patients, the examination of patient safety errors while allowing patients to be a part of their plan of care (Delunas et al., 2014). As bedside reporting allows the patient to engage in communication with the nurses who cater to them, effective communication skills are critical. It also acts as a way for different healthcare professionals to gain the information that they require concerning patient acuity. As one of the duties of bedside nurses is to complete bedside reports, the use of effective writing skills is essential to ensure that effective communication is conducted. This is specifically because bedside reporting results in increased safety and satisfaction of patients.
The role of the public health nurse is to conduct the education of the population while enhancing the health of the public. Public health nurses have a unique position within the healthcare sector as they mainly focus on underserved and disadvantaged populations. In their main role, which will be the provision of patient care, public health nurses will have to use effective communication in their interaction with patients. If a nurse must provide a patient with advice concerning poor health literacy on the management of their disease, for instance, they have to do this in a clear language that the patient understands (Foronda et al., 2016). In referring patients to other professionals that can provide them with the care required, public health nurses should have the ability to communicate with other professionals. Lastly, public health nurses are expected to engage in the education of individuals and communities concerning important health issues. In their provision of information concerning preventive care measures, nurses must find ways of reaching individuals by communicating effectively.
Nurse unit managers are mainly responsible for overseeing the daily patient care, supervising and directing other nurses, and making reports to the head of the nursing department to ensure that high-quality care is provided to patients. To effectively carry out their roles, nurse unit managers are expected to have proper relationships with the staff, other healthcare providers, and the patients. Communication with other healthcare providers is critical to ensuring that the nurse unit manager acts as a primary point of contact between healthcare providers and the families of the patients involved (Delunas et al., 2014). While helping in establishing adjustments to patient care plans, these professionals have to collaborate with other healthcare professionals and integrate their different opinions and beliefs to establish effective patient care plans (Matziou et al., 2014). The nurse unit manager is also expected to identify procedural challenges in order to engage in the resolution of issues. This identification and resolution of issues call for the nurse unit managers to have discussions with various nurses and healthcare professionals concerning operations within the health organization.
How Inter-professional Communication Can Be Applied
There are several ways in which inter-professional communication can be applied in nursing practice. One of the main ways that this form of communication can be applied is through the encouragement of patients. Through their knowledge of the patients, nurses are expected to understand and learn how to speak appropriately and communicate with the patients based on their demographics and background. By engaging in direct and information communication, the decrease in errors is significantly minimized, and the amount of successful patient outcomes is increased (Verhaegh et al., 2017). Nurses can use communication as a way of promoting and building mutual understanding and trust with the rest of the inter-professional team.
Nurses should also learn ways of practicing non-verbal communication in their interactions with patients and other professionals. This includes the use of various elements of nonverbal communication, such as the appropriate facial expressions and gestures, in order to establish a proper rapport (Foronda et al., 2016). Nurses should show an interest in what the patient is attempting to communicate by maintaining eye contact and nodding their head. Nurses should also apply non-threatening body language as a way of conveying openness. In their communication with other nurses, professionals in the nursing industry should also focus on enhancing their written communication skills. As nurses are responsible for creating and updating patient records, communicating clearly through this medium will ensure that patients are receiving the best care.
Personal Growth in Regards to Inter-professional Communication
I have come to the realization that inter-professional communication is an essential determinant of patient outcomes. Nurses present patients with deep interpersonal, intellectual, technical capabilities and skills during their care. As nursing care is delivered mainly through dialogue, communication is critical for the exchange of information and feelings. As patients convey their fears and concerns to their nurses, proper communication is critical for the provision of care. To achieve the best communication with patients, I now understand that I have to be prepared to learn, understand and implement different aspects of communication within my professional environment (Matziou et al., 2014). I now view communication between nurses and patients as a critical factor for the provision of care. Secondly, I now have a focus on the need for recognizing two-way communication and its contribution to conclusions and attitudes. This includes the recognition of non-verbal communication cues and skills while interacting with patients is essential for understanding their needs. The ability to conduct an analysis of patient communications within stressful conditions is also needed to ensure patient safety. Therefore, I have become better at recognizing that different patients have different communication styles. I have also become a better listener and spend my time using both verbal and non-verbal communication to identify what the patient is attempting to say. Listening lets a nurse conduct the assessment of a situation for the formulation of a proper response to care.
Personal Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to Career Advancement
One of my main strengths as a nursing career is my empathy and compassion for others. Over my professional field, I have encountered patients with an extensive range of physical or psychological issues. My empathy and compassion have enabled me to interact with patients that display various emotions while helping them to cope. Empathy and compassion have not only been essential in helping me to understanding the needs of my patients but also in assisting them to cope with their concerns. My main weakness is my level of reliability and flexibility. Due to the nature of the nursing profession, I will need to find a way to work flexibly as a result of changes in the needs of patients and specialized care. The main opportunity for the further growth of my career is the development of better time management skills. This includes constantly finding ways to handle a heavy workload while also prioritizing tasks. To be successful in my profession, this is a strength I will need to possess. Lastly, a threat to my career advancement is my level of communication, as I have trouble working with a variety of coworkers. To minimize this threat, I will engage in education and training to gain better communication skills.
References
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. (2005). AACN standards for establishing and sustaining healthy work environments: a journey to excellence. American Journal of Critical Care , 14 (3), 187-197.
Chang, A. et al. (2005). The JCAHO patient safety event taxonomy: a standardized terminology and classification schema for near misses and adverse events. International Journal for Quality in Health Care , 17 (2), 95-105.
Delunas, L. R., & Rouse, S. (2014). Nursing and medical student attitudes about communication and collaboration before and after an interprofessional education experience. Nursing Education Perspectives , 35 (2), 100-105.
Foronda, C. et al. (2016). Interprofessional communication in healthcare: An integrative review. Nurse Education in Practice , 19 , 36-40.
Matziou, V. et al. (2014). Physician and nursing perceptions concerning interprofessional communication and collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care , 28 (6), 526-533.
Verhaegh, K. J. et al. (2017). An exploratory study of healthcare professionals’ perceptions of interprofessional communication and collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care , 31 (3), 397-400.
