Healthcare communications: principles and practices

Healthcare Communications

The objective of this work is to conduct an inventory of various communication channels utilized within the skilled nursing organizations and to compare and contrast the various organizations methodologies for disseminating health information with internal and external organizations. This work will identify any improvements that could be made and make recommendations.

AMERICAN ASSOCATION of CRITICAL CARE NURSES (AACN)

"AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments" states that the 2001 American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) made a commitment to actively promote the creation of healthy work environments that support and foster excellence in patient care wherever acute and critical nurses practice." It is related that this commitment is upon the basis of the dedication of the Association to "optimal patient care and the recognition that the deepening nurse shortage cannot be reversed without healthy work environments that support excellence in nursing." (2001) Medical errors can be in great part attributed to "unhealthy work environments" stated to include "demoralizing and unsafe conditions in workplaces." Patient safety can only e ensured through staff recruitment and retention enhancement and through maintenance of the "organization's financial viability." (AACN, 2001) Because of the commitment of AACN to support work and care environments "...that are safe, healing, humane and respectful of the rights, responsibilities, needs and contributions of all people-including patients, their families and nurses" there have been six standards identified as a requirement in the establishment of healthy work environments and in sustaining these environments. Those six standards are inclusive of the following: (1) Skilled Communication; (2) True Collaboration; (3) Effective Decision Making; (4) Appropriate Staffing; (5) Meaningful Recognition; and (6) Authentic Leadership. (AACN, 2001)

II. PRESENT MEANS of COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION

Today's organizations lack the forum in which nurses may be involved in internal and external communication with and among skilled nursing staff to promote the required level of communication and collaboration as set out by the AACN (2001) and this is not for lack of an effort but instead is due to the extreme shortage of skilled nursing staff. There are however existing organizations such as the Healthcare Communications Association which was also formed in 2001, however, this organization was formed primarily for pharmaceutical companies and practitioners. The 'Coalition for Healthcare Communication" organization when searched with keywords 'skilled nursing staff' returned a 'sorry no pages found with your keyword' indicating a gap in the communication network for skilled nursing staff in the communication network for health care issues under debate and analysis. The work of Thornby (2006) entitled: "Beginning the Journey to Skilled Communication" states that often skilled nursing staff were found to be avoiding communication with physicians who were known to be aggressive or abrasive instead of becoming competent in skilled communication. It is additionally noted in Thornby (2006) that skills development is needed among today's skilled nursing staff in order to enable competent skilled communication among skilled nursing staff and other practitioners and physicians.