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Communication for the professional
As a healthcare professional, communicating effectively is necessary for making accurate diagnoses,
providing appropriate treatment, and ensuring that patients understand their health status. Therefore,
communication between them and patients or even between colleges must be clear, timely, and discrete.
Moreover, effective communication in healthcare settings requires the ability to convey complex or
technical terms in a universally understandable manner. In addition, bidirectional communication is
involved. Healthcare professionals should be able to interpret and apply the information provided to them by
other staff and communicate the actions they have taken which is crucial to their career and to whom they
provide service.
'Communication' has been included as one of its patient safety objectives since 2006 and 2007 by the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations(JCAHO), with Objective 2 clearly aiming to
improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers by standardizing communication between
healthcare teams. Healthcare professionals should value each sector's feedback, and they should share their
views through a variety of platforms and feel comfortable voicing their concerns to seniors. The healthcare
team can therefore provide the most suitable treatment for patients based on the feedback. To do so,
hospitals and clinics can develop programs or create opportunities to promote shared responsibility, foster
constructive dialogue, and allow medical practitioners to contact their supervisors through a variety of
communication channels to ensure that the voices and opinions of all practitioners are heard.
In 2002, Dr. Michael Leonard from JCAHO also proposed 'SBAR' as an effective way to improve
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communication. "SBAR' is an acronym for Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation.
Situation refers to "what is happening at the present time?” Background refers to "explain circumstances
leading up to this situation", i.e. "basic information about the patient". Assessment refers to "what do you
think the problem is?", is the professional assessment made as a result of "the current information shows
that...". For example, "I think the problem may be a cardiac, neurological, etc. problem." Recommendation
refers to "what would you do to correct the problem?" It is a recommendation for follow-up measures or
directions that you would like to be authorized to take, for example: "Do you need to do an X-ray, etc., or do
you want to recommend a transfer to an intensive care unit?”
The aim of 'SBAR' is to improve communication between medical professionals through a 'standardized'
and 'structured' mode of communication, to provide immediate and accurate information between medical
professionals. It also integrates the concept of team resource management to enhance the efficiency,
timeliness and effectiveness of the team. The emphasis in healthcare is on 'communication' and 'teamwork',
and communication problems is a major cause of medical errors. Effective communication not only enables
patients to receive the most immediate care and treatment. It also indirectly improves and boosts staff,
patient and family morale. The communication between medical staff and patients should be improved so
that everything is "clear" and "understood". This can also increase patient and family satisfaction and reduce
the number of days in the hospital. Therefore, it is worthwhile for every member of the healthcare team to
take this into account and implement effective communication.
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In verbal communication, information is conveyed through language. A person's verbal communication
skills extend beyond speaking ability. They demonstrate how he or she delivers and receives messages in
writing as well as in spoken interactions. These skills focus on how you communicate rather than what you
say. It is beneficial to have effective verbal communication skills as a healthcare professional since they
allow you to build rapport with others, which leads to more positive interactions and stronger relationships
in a clinical environment. With these skills, you can convey a sense of confidence and ensure that your
patients and colleagues understand your message or expectations. The ability to communicate clearly helps
you succeed in various work situations, including projects, negotiations and job interviews.
When presenting information, think of ways to make it as clear and concise as possible. Speaking
succinctly not only makes your message easier to understand but also gets your main points across quicker.
We should avoid using complicated words and sentences or including irrelevant information whether we are
speaking or writing. Patients will be able to respond accordingly if you follow these steps. This skill is
especially beneficial when providing instructions or expectations to colleagues, as your directness ensures
there is little confusion.
On the other hand, when communicating with patients, it's important to understand their perspectives and
put yourself in their positions. Explain information in a way that anyone can understand, especially when
discussing complex or technical medical terms with patients. As different demographics have different
communication preferences, it is also important to consider your patients' personalities while talking to
them. In addition, it is noteworthy to always ask yourself what your patients want and need to know and
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what their knowledge base is. When you understand whom, you are speaking to, it makes it easier to tailor
your message to their needs. Taking this tailored approach also ensures your patients and their family stay
well-informed because you provide only the most relevant information they want to hear.
On top of that, our body movements carry some meaning whether we speak or not. Non-verbal
communication is generally more reflective of internal feelings and emotions, so people tend to believe nonverbal messages when they are inconsistent with them. Non-verbal communication is unique to each person
and requires careful observation to gain a clearer understanding of another person's thoughts. When
messages are ambiguous, they need to be clarified and we should try to understand, respect, and accept the
difference.
For conversations with patients, a moderate volume and speed of speech are ideal in terms of tone
volume. Either too fast or too slow may make it difficult for the other person to understand. However, to
save time, healthcare professionals between each other should try to speak as quickly and clearly as possible
without being rushed or slurred. Moreover, the volume of voice should be appropriate. Too high a voice
level may appear abrasive; too low a voice level may make it difficult to concentrate or less convincing. A
high or low tone of voice is more pleasant to listen to and more likely to attract the attention of the other
party.
On the other hand, body language is crucial in effective communication which includes facial expressions,
eye contact, body movements, and gestures. Consistency in facial expressions makes others feel that you are
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sincere. Proper eye contact shows respect and attention. Avoiding the other person's eyes can give the
impression that you are shy, nervous or hiding something. Practitioners could try looking at other parts of
the patients’ faces from time to time, such as the mouth, nose, forehead, etc. To add on, pay attention to body
posture, including sitting and standing postures. Folding hands may reflect a nervous or closed-off attitude,
conversely, dropping the hands naturally and leaning forward slightly indicates a more engaged
conversation. To conclude, appropriate body language can enhance the impact of speech, but too much
gesturing can be confusing.
If you do not get the right communication with each other, colleagues, supervisors, and subordinates, then
your relationship will not be very good, the work will not start smoothly enough, and colleagues will not
really serve you. Maybe they will respect your position for a while, but the result is that he will choose to
leave to find his own future. If you don't communicate well with your seniors on a consistent basis, then they
may have a distrustful attitude towards you and won't like you much even if you do your job well. If you
don't have good interpersonal relationships and communication, you won't be able to do your job well. No
one will continue to work well with someone who doesn't know how to communicate. More importantly,
patients will lose confidence in the medical service received which further worsens their anxiety about the
tumor facing.
Communication, conceptually speaking, is the process of conveying information, ideas and emotions to a
specific individual or group of individuals in order to reach a consensus on a set goal. Communication is not
only an effective tool for management but also a skill; it is the performance of a medical staff’s own
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knowledge, expression and behavioral potential. Whether you are a junior or senior practitioner, good
communication is a prerequisite for the most suitable treatment plan for patients. Communication is as
important as it is in the bloodstream of a person, and in life. If there is poor communication, it is like a blood
vessel embolism, and the consequences are imaginable. Therefore, healthcare professionals must know how
to communicate effectively. It's not just about words, it's also about gestures, postures, eyes, expressions and
so on. Sometimes a look, a witty word, a hug on the shoulder, a sincere smile...... The most important thing
is that you will have an unexpected gain in that you can be happy at work solving patients’ problems and
have a successful career.
(1500 words)
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