interprofessional comminication in healthcare (Research Paper Sample)

Communications in the Healthcare Setting Between Inter Disciplinary Providers Rosemary Owen Grand Canyon University: NRS-433V (NRS-433V-0504) July 28th, 2016  Communications in the Healthcare Setting Between Inter Disciplinary Providers Background of study Problem Communication in the healthcare setting is extremely important. It affects everything in healthcare, and that is why it is imperative that there is implemented a good communication protocol in facilities. It is essential to have healthy communication system in all health centres as poor communication can cause serious problems and damages. For example, poor communication can lead to sentinel incidents, such as giving a patient the wrong information, medication, or harming a patient from miscommunication. In addition, omitting information can also be detrimental for a patient, such as not reporting critical lab values, or failing to report an abnormal assessment on a patient to the physician and failing to get that patient treatment in time, there is much more that could lead to harm or death for the patient. The significance of the study to nursing In achieving positive and cost effective outcomes in healthcare, it is necessary to have organized interdisciplinary teams. This is because the nature of the sector is complex. Meeting the demands of the sector also requires knowledge of many individuals or specialists to help them work together in solving patient care issues. The study helps in showing that well organized interdisciplinary communications leads to enhanced healthcare results like patient satisfaction, reduction of hospital costs, and symptom control. The study is also significant to nursing as it illustrates that well organized interdisciplinary communications between interdisciplinary providers leads to teamwork creation, which may improve both diagnostic and prognostic abilities of the healthcare providers compared to professionals working alone. There are multiple factors that are involved in the way the interdisciplinary team communicates that should be taken into account. For example; the educational levels, experience, skills level, personalities, and personal experiences, and the way an individual grew up on how to deal with communicating with others is very important, some individual have an unhealthy way of communicating, all these factors can significantly impact how a nurse can do their job, which in turn affects the patients and peers. The purpose of the study The purpose of the study was to have a better understanding of the way communication is used within a healthcare setting. The study shows that interdisciplinary communication can greatly help in reducing chronic illness deaths especially in palliative care, which focuses on life quality, and spiritual and physical suffering. The study suggests that interdisciplinary providers require good communication infrastructure to ensure proper information sharing during care delivery. Objectives: research question and/or hypothesis The study just wanted to know how communication in a healthcare setting interrupted the workflow for doctors and nurses. Methods of study Per the article a “non-participatory, qualitative time-and-motion observational study” was performed. (Edwards et al., 2009). Research design The research design was a time-and-motion observational study in which the observers that were doing the study followed seven doctors and two nurses over a period of five days and recorded their findings on a paper-based, semi structured observation tool and then later coded it for analysis. (Edwards et al., 2009). Samples The samples used in this study where the seven attending physicians, six where emergency room physicians, one was an internal medicine doctor and the two nurses where from the emergency department. (Edwards et al., 2009). Procedures The procedure they used was based on off the communication observation method created by Logan Spencer. Results of study What did they find? The results indicated that on average, the healthcare providers spent around one third of their time with their patients. On individual level, each of the nurses spent around 100 seconds in a single direct care. The nurses operated in a pattern of changing short tasks rapidly. However, the nurse had limited preparation time prior to switching of tasks. The findings show how the nurses relied on formal information sources in completing their work. Their increased reliance on formal information resulted from decrease in accessing information from other communication means like face-to-face professional communication. Additionally, increase in time spent by each health provider to complete a single task alone also led to increased use of formal information. The nurses also relied on computer use in completing their tasks. Computerization of medication management and documentation of clinical systems is essential in increasing work sustainability. Increased access to computerized information reduces time spent during transit. The face of face communications reduction among the professionals reduce need to travel from one office to another to obtain information, which may save a lot time for the nurses (Edwards et al., 2009). Another result was that the health providers spent some of their time multi-tasking and experienced numerous disturbances. Implications to nursing These interruptions are dangerous as they mostly occurred during medication tasks. They can lead to medication administration errors. Also the limited time available for communications hinder exchange of detailed information regarding healthcare. The findings affect the whole sector of nursing. In many health sectors today, nurses spend greater part of their time alone due to the reduced contact with the other nurses. There is a need to increase interdisciplinary communications among the health providers to encourage teamwork and information sharing. Explain how the findings contribute to nursing knowledge/science. Would it impact practice, education, administration, or all areas of nursing? The above results support increase in interdisciplinary communication in the health sector. They encourage teamwork as joint tasks take short time to complete. Teamwork also leads to professional communications assisting the health providers to share th...