“All the work of interprofessional collaborations involves communication. Success or failure of the team is dependent on the effectiveness of the communication processes. Communication is a complex process of transmitting a message between a sender and receiver” (DeNisco, 2021, p. 159). Relationships of all kinds depend heavily on effective communication. Ineffective communication results in misunderstandings, conflict, failure to meet goals and frustrations amongst the participants in the relationship. The complexity of the health care environment increases the importance of quality communication in order to facilitate collaboration amongst all members of the health care team. Effective communication is essential to avoid mistakes of misunderstanding which could lead to patient harm.
Technology has an ever-growing impact on all aspects of health care, including communication. As Rouleau, et al. (2017) point out, communication systems are utilized for a variety of purposes, including management, education, support and counseling, and diagnoses and the sharing of this information between care providers or between providers and their patients. The modalities include email, smart phones, telemedicine, messaging and clinical decision support systems.
One specific example of communication technology new tp my work setting is the use of “secure chat” whereby members of the healthcare team can send text messages to each other through the EHR. This messaging can either be patient-specific, or not. The benefits of this modality include a convenient method of communicating non-urgent information from the bedside nurse to the provider or therapist. For example, the nurse can communicate to the provider that a pediatric patient’s parent has just arrived at the bedside and would like an update when the provider is free. The ability to communicate via the EHR reduces the need to call the provider and potentially interrupt their current work. This system is also helpful for the provider to communicate to the physical therapist that they would like to be notified when the therapist is working with the patient in order to meet at the bedside and discuss recommendations in person. While this technology has many benefits, it also has some challenges. These include the reality that nurses and providers may not look at the EHR for a period of time and therefore don’t see messages immediately. This reality necessitates the practice that any time-sensitive communication must still be communicated in person of over the phone to assure receipt of the information in the necessary time frame.
References:
DeNisco, S. M. (2021). Advanced practice nursing: Essential knowledge for the profession (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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