Communication Change Challenge Essay
Each week, you are required to enter your patient encounters into medley. Your faculty will be checking to ensure you are seeing the right number and mix of patients for a good learning experience. You will also need to include a minimum of one complete SOAP note using this template . The SOAP note should be related to the content covered in this week, and the completed note should be submitted to the Submissions Area. When submitting your note, be sure to include the reference number from e Medley.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Submission Details:
By the end of the week enter your patient encounters into e Medley and complete at least one SOAP note in the template provided.
Name your SOAP note document SU_NSG6440_W2_SOAP Last Name_First Initial.doc.
Include the reference number from e Medley in your document.
Submit your document to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.Communication Change Challenge Essay
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
There are certainties and then there are uncertainties.
We are certain that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will bring about change, but just how beneficial will that change be for Americans and our healthcare system?
We are certain that the industry is being bombarded with messages about population health management, but will that concept truly take hold, or will it turn out to be nothing more than a reincarnation of a notion that fluttered and died in prior lives? And we are certain that we are entering a new era of mergers, acquisitions and assorted creative partnerships involving providers and payers, but will these organizations truly be successful in aligning incentives and building a better tomorrow?
One thing of which we can be certain is that change is more than on the horizon….it is here. As leaders of that change, hospital executives have a myriad of challenges with which to grapple including legal structures, financial imperatives, human resources, information technology, operational design and so much more. Central to that checklist should be communication. Done incorrectly, the fallout from change not explained in a strategic and thoughtful way has the potential to hover like a bad smell over your organization for years to come. But done properly, you can cultivate all of your constituents (or at least most of them) into ambassadors who will enthusiastically carry your message to family, friends and the community.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Here are nine secrets to help make sure that you get it right.
1. Communicate with your employees and other internal constituencies first. You never want your employees, medical staff, volunteers and board members to be taken off-guard by what they see on the internet or read in the morning newspaper. It may be cliché to say that these individuals are your most important assets, but there is no escaping that truth. This is your chance to build credibility and trust among an audience that is central to your success. And the more they embrace the change, the more they will be able to deliver the kind of patient experience that can differentiate you in the market.
2. Explain why. Too many people spend too much time on the who, what, where, when and how. While all of those particulars are important, “why” trumps them all. In firming up your messaging, the best place to start is to explain why your hospital is choosing to go through this change in simple terms that your audiences will understand. Once there is that understanding and acceptance — and once you have made your case in a compelling way — you can get into the who, what, when and how.
3. Place what you are doing in a larger context. The healthcare industry is undergoing dramatic changes, many brought about by the full implementation of the PPACA and some the result of other market forces. Hospitals, medical groups and health plans are all trying to determine how they fit. In communicating to your various audiences, don’t view your situation in isolation. Place the change you are going through within this larger context and be prideful of the fact that by undertaking your actions you are proactively helping to dictate your own future and sustainability, rather than just drifting wherever the winds may blow.
4. Remember that everyone accepts or handles change differently. Some people find change exciting and some find it disruptive. Some embrace it and some remain wedded to the past. You never know what lurks deep within an individual’s thought process. Hospital leadership needs to understand this and be respectful of each person’s individual needs. So too, people choose to receive their messages in different ways, and it is important to communicate through whatever medium the recipients of those messages feel most comfortable. The internet including all aspects of social media? Traditional direct mail? Face-to-face? One on one or in groups? The medium is almost as important as the message.
5. Once is not enough. The keys to successful advertising or sales are repetition and consistency. Communicating change requires “selling” change, and that means once is not enough. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that once you’ve communicated, your job is done. Effective communication needs constant feeding. Keep repeating your message with frequent updates and developments that keep all of your key constituents in the know. Most important, give people the chance to ask questions and engage in two-way conversation. This is one of the best ways to help them feel invested in and supportive of the change that is taking place.
6. Recognize that there is little in life more personal or important to consumers than the health of themselves and their families. Unfortunately, healthcare has become an overly complex industry loaded with unnecessary jargon, which makes communication more difficult. It also makes the distance between the hospital and the patient that much greater. Don’t let those sand traps stand in your way. Cut the jargon and speak in simple to understand terms.
7. Never underestimate the power of the media. Whether traditional or online, the media has the capacity to mold public opinion and, for better or worse, and help set the agenda for discussion. They also have the ability to put you on the defensive — whether or not you have anything to be defensive about. You need to get ahead of the ball and control the narrative. That means utilizing the media wisely through op-eds, sit down interviews with local reporters and finding creative ways to leverage the media to tell your story in a sincere and credible way.
8. Don’t pretend that you have all the answers or know for certain how the change will all end up, because in all likelihood you don’t. That’s okay. The cement hasn’t dried yet. What people don’t want to see is you trembling on the edge of maybe. Be optimistic but truthful about the road the lies ahead but also spell out the speed bumps and aftershocks that will come with this change. In the long run, people will appreciate your candor and will be more apt to trust you the next time you have an important message to communicate.Communication Change Challenge Essay
9. Stay true to your brand. A brand is more than a slogan, an ad, a bumper sticker or a clever tagline. It is a promise that you as an organization are making to your customers, business partners and employees. It should be deeply rooted in your organization and part of your DNA. All too often, change threatens to upend a brand. But if you let that happen, you will destroy the equity and currency you have created over time. Use change communication as an opportunity to build upon your brand: to make it stronger and to reaffirm your role as a leading and trusted healthcare resource in your community.
For hospitals and health care institutions, ensuring that patients receive proper care takes more than performing procedures and making diagnoses. Communication is a crucial component in all steps of the health care process. Whether it be a clinic accurately sharing patient information with another facility, or a group of doctors, nurses, specialists, and other staff at a hospital discussing how to treat current and incoming patients, the need for concise, effective communication is always present in the health field.
Organizations with strong communication policies can enrich their patients’ health, while those that don’t have effective procedures in place can negatively impact patient well-being. Health care professionals and institutions need to recognize the importance of communication in health care in order to thrive.
How Better Communication Practices Are Beneficial
Poor communication has been a factor in 1,744 patient deaths and over $1.7 billion in malpractice costs nationally in the past five years, according to a study published in Fierce Healthcare. This shows that better communication methods would benefit both patients and health care providers. Effective communication — both intrahospital and interhospital — is important for health care providers to protect their patients, save on costs, and increase day-to-day operating efficiency. Meanwhile, patients benefit from increased access to their medical histories, which reduces chances of medical errors.
A Focus on Patient Safety
When considering the importance of communication in health care, patient safety is one of the top reasons to create an effective communication structure in any health care organization. Inadequate communication is often a leading cause of in-hospital deaths. “In a retrospective review of 14,000 in-hospital deaths, communication errors were found to be the lead cause, twice as frequent as errors due to inadequate clinical skill,” notes a 2006 study in the Clinical Biochemist Review. While communication errors can have severe consequences, these issues are often relatively easy to fix, meaning many patient deaths caused by communication errors are preventable. That fact alone is one of the most important reasons why communication is so important for patient safety.
Interhospital vs. Intrahospital Communications
There are two types of communication methods that health care institutions use that are crucial to patient safety and well-being: interhospital and intrahospital.
Interhospital
Interhospital communications involve information sharing among multiple sites or institutions. This includes transmissions between facilities owned by the same organization and between completely separate health care entities. Moving patients from one facility to another, sending medical records, and transporting vital medical equipment all require clear communication between sites.
However, hospitals often encounter obstacles in communicating effectively with one another. A study conducted by the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) found that poor interhospital communication costs the industry upward of $12 billion annually. Inadequate communication drives up costs by preventing institutions from accessing patients’ medical files, which may create a need for duplicate tests and second opinions that would not otherwise be necessary.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Intrahospital
Problems with communication also occur among personnel within the same hospital. Intrahospital communication is any information sharing within a singular institution — whether it involves coordinating room changes, scheduling surgeries, assigning further tests, or even setting up appointments. When doctors, staff, and patients are not effectively sharing information, the efficiency of each process may decrease, potentially resulting in unnecessary costs or even danger to patients. Patient record delays, lack of procedural coordination, and even serious medical errors may all be consequences of poor intrahospital communication.
Common Communication Methods
Each health care system has multiple forms of communication that administrators and staff must be trained to use properly and efficiently. When even one of these communication methods fails, patient safety can be put at risk. A minor printing mistake could lead to incorrect dosages, or incomplete information may keep a doctor from knowing about a crucial allergy. Understanding how standard communication methods work is the first step in ensuring that a hospital is running as smoothly as possible, for both the patients’ and the hospital’s sake. To that end, here are some of the most common ways that hospitals and other health care systems communicate and share information.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Transmitting Patient Data
Patient records are shared securely via inter- and intrahospital communications. Delays in receiving records can cost hospitals millions of dollars each year in unnecessary expenses. Patient data are used to create a thorough medical history and provide appropriate medical care. When patient data aren’t shared between departments or other health care organizations, there may be a much higher chance of practice errors and subsequent increased costs.
Sharing Research Findings
The health care industry relies on research to create and improve tools and procedures. However, some third-party researchers — such as those who work for private companies or pharmaceutical labs — are reluctant to share their findings with providers because of competitive pressures in their industries. Lack of access to the latest research can stall medical advancement, waste funding, and negatively impact health outcomes, according to an article published by Forbes. For health care techniques to evolve, providers must implement communication systems that allow researchers to quickly and easily collaborate, both within the same organization and across multiple organizations.
Collaborating with Colleagues
Intrahospital communication relies heavily on collaboration between colleagues. Patients, lab technicians, doctors, and staff all need to be in constant communication to create a system that operates as smoothly as possible. Inter-colleague collaboration also includes entering information accurately into databases, especially shared ones. Inaccurate communication between departments can lead to errors in database entry, which, in turn, can potentially risk patient safety.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Coordinating Hospital Leadership
Whether publicly or privately funded, hospitals are businesses, and they need to operate as such. Hospital managers and other leaders must communicate frequently with doctors, staff, and patients. All hospital leaders and managers not only oversee administrative staff and tasks but can also play a vital role in individual patient health care plans. To be effective, they should maintain open lines of communication with those around them and also facilitate information sharing between hospital departments and with other institutions.
Telemedicine Advancements
Health care professionals are increasingly embracing telemedicine, which involves using a variety of internet-connected technologies to serve patients remotely. These technological tools play essential roles in health care communications, according to the American Telemedicine Association.Communication Change Challenge Essay
Hospitals and other health care organizations use internal online networks, or intranets, to create more efficient communication processes. This makes patient record sharing and cross-departmental communications much easier. What once may have been communicated via printed files and memos can now be shared electronically within the organization and sent to other organizations.
Telemedicine goes even further by allowing patients to receive medical care and advice from the comfort of their own homes. Using state-of-the-art communication tools, patients and health care providers are able to discuss health concerns via video chat, often eliminating the need for the patient to visit the provider’s office. Not only does this cut down on costs for both the provider and the patient, but it also creates a seamless communication experience for everyone involved.Communication Change Challenge Essay