Effective Communication
Effective communication is a staple of our healthcare culture. Working with patients, peers, and interprofessional teams requires that nurses manage information and evidence toward influencing safe and positive patient outcomes.
Please address the following:
Describe caring attributes of the culture where you currently practice.
Which attributes stand out as having significant influence on patients, nurses, and other healthcare professionals?
How do you see effective communication relating to patient outcomes in this setting?
What is the evidence for this?
Sample Paper
Effective Communication
My current workplace is keen on demonstrating care to clients. For example, caregivers express their caring attributes by being respectful. They listen to patients and act according to their wishes. If there is a conflict of opinion, the clinical team members usually engage the patients in open discussions. The clinicians present their views while respecting the clients’ perspectives and preferences. Additionally, nurses and physicians treat each other and patients with adequate cultural sensitivity. They value each other’s cultural identities, resulting in a civil workplace. Other essential caring attributes that the facility members embody are competent and diligent clinical attention and providing spiritual support to patients.
Particularly, cultural awareness stands out within the facility’s community. Cultural competence allows colleagues to collaborate, treating each other with civility (Smith, 2018). Thus, cultural inclusivity and sensitivity enable nurses to attend to patients by providing care according to their preferences. For instance, they consider ethnic identity, age, religion, and gender to ensure that treatment and care plans are client-compatible. The cultural awareness enables them to generate customized care plans per the hospital and professional standards. Therefore, the commitment to cultural excellence enhances patient satisfaction and overall care quality.
Effective communication is vital to establishing patient safety. When clients and clinicians communicate openly, they share critical information on drug allergies and interactions. Also, nurses are less likely to administer the wrong medication when the communication with physicians is clear. Manias et al. (2021) highlights that both formal communication methods, such as clinical handovers, and informal ones are vital to relaying vital information between caregivers and patients. Hence, there are fewer communication mishaps, resulting in enhanced patient safety.
References
Manias, E., Street, M., Lowe, G., Low, J. K., Gray, K., & Botti, M. (2021). Associations of Person-Related, Environment-Related and Communication-Related Factors on Medication Errors in Public and Private Hospitals: A Retrospective Clinical Audit. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1), 1025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07033-8
Smith, L. (2018). A nurse educator’s guide to cultural competence. Nursing Management, 49(2), 11-14. https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2018/02000/Nurse_leader_mentorship.4.aspx
