Improving interprofessional communication through a targeted skills intervention

Collaboration in an Outpatient Clinic Setting: Strengthening Care for Patients

Interprofessional collaboration is critical to improve the health of patients. According to Tomasik & Fleming (2015), "physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and other clinical and administrative professionals" must all work together to ensure that patient care is optimized (p.7). Such collaboration does not take place organically and without considerable effort by the persons involved and the institution itself. Often, there may be friction between different specialists because they speak different professional languages or there may simply be an absence of effective communication channels to foster dialogue. How to improve interprofessional communication in outpatient settings?

Practice-Focused Question(s)

Will an intervention designed to teach communication skills to different types of healthcare providers enhance satisfaction with the level of professional communication at an outpatient clinic?

Possible Sources of Evidence

A literature review of reports conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and professional nursing journals of interventions to improve healthcare will be used to structure the intervention designed to improve communication skills. Providers will be interviewed before and after the intervention using semistructured questions as well as answer a questionnaire about their perceptions of interprofessional communication and level of satisfaction.