Final answer:
Good, clear communication between healthcare professionals and patients is crucial for preventing medical errors. It requires avoiding jargon, enunciating clearly, and following established protocols. Using secure platforms for sharing digital records can also enhance communication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Good, clear communication between health care professionals and with patients is an important way to prevent medical errors. Effective communication involves not only having conversations but ensuring that these dialogues are free of specific terms or jargon, and involve enunciating clearly and using respectful language. Sharing of digital records among health providers through secure platforms is one method proposed to improve the quality of health care while reducing costs, facilitating communication, especially over long distances. It is also crucial to have a mutual understanding of protocols for communication, including what situations warrant an email versus a phone call, setting expectations for the frequency of communication, and the expected response time.