Effective Communication in Health Care

In order to achieve effective communication in health care, you need to learn to speak with families, caregivers, patients, consultants and referring physicians. It is vital to the care of the patient that you develop a strategy to communicate with anyone who has a role in the patient's welfare.

Communication Methods

• Personal discussion with patients is very important, not only upon the first encounter, but throughout the care and treatment phases as well. Face-to-face conversations tell you a lot about the patient and how she is feeling, even if she does not verbalize all her problems. Part of this communication is listening and part of it is teaching the patient about her medical condition and the process she will go through. Patients don't like to be ignored, talked over or treated like lab rats. Explaining the process, the medications and their effects, and the tests the patient must undergo will make her feel more confident and involved in her treatment.

Everybody in the Loop

• Doctors, nurses, technicians and counselors all should communicate with each other as well as with the patient and the patient's family. With everybody in the loop, you will cut down on miscommunication and the difficulties that can arise from it. Doctors should talk directly to the nurses and the patients, not just leave notes. Technicians and counselors should talk with nurses, doctors and patients before beginning their work.

Follow Up

• Keep in communication with patients after they have been treated either in a doctor's office, clinic or hospital. If there are concerns, don't let go of them. Everybody's busy in the health care field, but letting a small problem grow into a large one by not communicating shouldn't happen. If you send a patient for a mammogram, for example, and the results are questionable, don't just let it sit with the patient. Check the results and follow up with the patient as soon as possible to make certain she is getting more tests or going to a surgeon or specialist for care. When possible, talk with family members, too, to enlist their help in keeping up with any conditions of the patient.

  Being on top of the communication process will greatly improve the relationship with your patient as well as other health care professionals.