Exploring the Importance of Healthcare Communications

To care for patients, hospitals and other healthcare institutions must go above and beyond just doing procedures and making diagnoses. Effective communication is necessary at all points in the healthcare delivery process. A clinic’s ability to effectively share patient information with another facility or a hospital’s team of doctors, nurses, specialists, and other staff members discussing how to best care for existing and incoming patients all need open, effective lines of communication.

A positive impact on patient health may result from an organisation’s strict adherence to established norms for effective patient communication. In contrast, a negative impact may be felt in the absence of such regulations. Communicating effectively with patients is essential for the success of Top Healthcare PR Agencies facilities and their staff.

The Positive Effects of New Methods of Communication

Poor communication resulted in 1,744 patient deaths and over $1.7 billion in malpractice costs over the last five years, according to a study published in FierceHealthcare. Evidence like this shows why better methods of Healthcare Communication would benefit both patients and doctors. Effective intrahospital and interhospital communication is essential for Top Healthcare PR Agencies providers to ensure patient safety, save costs, and enhance the efficiency of day-to-day operations. Patients benefit when doctors have faster access to their records because it reduces the likelihood of medical errors.

The Priority of Patient Safety

When assessing the relevance of Healthcare Communications in the healthcare industry, one of the primary reasons to have a solid communication system is to ensure patient safety. The leading cause of death in hospitals is often poor communication. A study from 2006 published in Clinical Biochemist Review found that miscommunication led directly to 14,000 deaths in hospitals, which is twice as many as deaths attributable to mistakes made due to a lack of clinical skill. Though communication breakdowns may have dire consequences, they are usually easy to fix so that many patient deaths can be prevented.

Differences in Inter-Hospital and Intra-Hospital Communications

The primary forms of communication used by hospitals are those between hospitals and those used inside hospitals, both of which are crucial to the health and safety of patients.

Interhospital

Interhospital communications services facilitate the dissemination of information between healthcare facilities in different geographic regions. This includes both transfers between facilities owned by the same corporation and those between completely unrelated healthcare providers. Moving patients between facilities, sharing medical information, and transporting life-saving equipment need effective two-way communication.

However, there are many obstacles to effective hospital-to-hospital communication. Center for Health Information and Decision Systems study estimates that improper communication between hospitals costs the industry over $12 billion yearly (CHIDS). Poor communication drives up costs, leading to unnecessary testing and second opinions because hospitals can’t access patients’ medical information.

Intrahospital

Furthermore, even with employees working in the same hospital, there are communication breakdowns. Intrahospital communication refers to conversations inside a single hospital, such as reserving rooms, planning a surgery, assigning extra tests, or setting up appointments. If doctors, staff, and patients can’t effectively communicate information, it might increase costs and put patients at risk during procedures. Inadequate intrahospital communication may lead to delays in patient records, poor procedural coordination, and potentially serious medical errors.