Question

What is the BEST strategy for healthcare professionals to use when they think there might a problem with patient communication?

a. Ask questions that will help uncover the nature of the barrier.
b. Let patients know when they aren't communicating clearly.
c. Provide information to help patients improve their messages.
d. Give patients and families time to discuss issues before intervening.

Answer 1

• Ask questions that will help uncover the nature of the barrier. This approach allows healthcare professionals to understand the specific challenges patients are facing in communicating their needs and concerns. For example, a study on patient participation in hospital settings found that healthcare professionals often had a lack of insight into the meaning of patient participation, which was a major barrier to effective communication.

• Provide information to help patients improve their messages. Healthcare professionals can offer guidance and resources to patients to help them better express their needs and concerns. For example, a quality improvement project in a children's hospital implemented a communication bundle that included strategies for nurses to improve their communication with children and their parents. This project resulted in enhanced nurse communication at the bedside and improved parent perception of nurse-child communication.

• Give patients and families time to discuss issues before intervening. Allowing patients and their families to have private discussions about their concerns can help them feel more comfortable and open to sharing their thoughts with healthcare professionals. This approach was identified as an important factor in the patient-healthcare professional relationship in the oncology outpatient setting, where encounters between patients and healthcare professionals are often brief.