Describing a poor practice and its consequences

Describing a poor practice and its consequences

Healthcare improvement is a subject that receives much attention from various stakeholders. Healthcare provision requires synchronizing the providers, financiers, equipment, and patients. In the provision of health care, communication is a crucial aspect. Effective communication between nurses and physicians is essential to care. There are situations where this link is most crucial, such as in older patients with comorbidities that require them to move between healthcare settings. Research has gone into the improvement of such crucial components of healthcare, with published work on the state of communication as well as the various suggestions for developing and improving the strategies, along with the creation of proper packing of the information for clarity.

The lack of proper communication in healthcare settings can often lead to adverse medical outcomes. Kunjukunju and Ahmad (2019) reveal how poor communication exists in healthcare settings and its negative effect on quality care. Deficient communication among healthcare providers existed when messages left for physicians were not received, nurses could not read the physician’s orders and not bothering to confirm, and physicians did not have the patience or consideration to listen to nurses’ opinions. These are the most common examples of deficient communication. Kunjukunju and Ahmad (2019)point out that this exists due to an apparent creation of warring factions. This is true since the health care providers often group themselves into factions that feel independent and superior. However, for communication to be efficient in the healthcare system, these factions need to unite and work co-dependently, as Kunjukunju and Ahmad (2019) suggest. Better healthcare outcomes are incredibly independent of effective communication between the different moving parts in healthcare settings.

Communication is a key component across all the steps of the healthcare process. Whether it is in the clinic or healthcare setting comprising of a multi-disciplinary team brainstorming on the relevant treatment options to provide patients with quality care while ensuring patient safety and effective communication should always be present. Across the United States, the lack of interactions in organizations providing care there has been a spike in medical errors and reduced patient outcomes (Ottosen et al., 2019). However, this implies that better communication in the healthcare setting can benefit both patients and healthcare stakeholders. Poor communication in the healthcare setting has been the leading cause of the high cost of medication, poor patient health outcomes, and declined day-to-day operations and working efficiency. With better communication, patients can receive better care and reduces the prospect of medical errors due to better interactions in multi-disciplinary teams to realize improved patient outcomes.