Top 10 Healthcare Communication Strategies to Improve Hospital-Patient Relationships
In a survey, 13.1% of patients stated that there were several issues because of a lack of proper healthcare communication between professionals. Unfortunately, communication problems that lead to the degradation of healthcare services to patients have been prevalent for a long time!
It can be stressful for a patient to seek care as it is hard to share one’s details with another person. Hence, they try contacting a medical professional that makes them comfortable and provides them with the necessary treatment. It is the need of the hour that hospitals, dental clinics, physician offices, etc., understand the importance of communication in healthcare.
There are three crucial stages when a clinic or hospital needs to focus on their healthcare communication plans the most:
- During the first patient interactions
- While transferring medical data to another institution
- During patient discharge
None of the patient transactions happens in isolation, and there is a strong interdependence among all departments. Also, you may need to interact with other organisations in case of data transfers. Hence, effective communication in healthcare is no longer just a patient retention strategy but a need.
This article discusses the characteristics of communication in the healthcare sector and how providers can work on strategies to increase overall efficiency. It also reveals the challenges of implementing a functional program that addresses the needs of the patients.
Let’s begin!
What Is Effective Patient Communication in Healthcare?
Effective patient communication is exchanging crucial information between patients and their healthcare providers. It also includes correspondence with family members and carers of the patients regarding the ongoing treatment.
Hospitals should prioritise effective clinical communication that promotes two-way conversations in all forms (non-verbal, written, and spoken). It should engage patients in care planning and decision-making at all stages. Also, it should be transparent, friendly, and respectful and allow patients to offer feedback.
Now, physicians have also tapped into the potential of telemedicine via video conferencing. The Australian Government funded the GP (general practitioner) video telehealth services with $49.5 million. Hence, patients can consult doctors by phone, video call, etc., and get the necessary care from the comfort of their homes.
Also, effective communication with patients deals with the transfer of medical data between healthcare providers. The transmission could occur between two or more physicians, clinics, hospitals, or different care levels within the same organisation.
Why is Patient Communication Significant For Healthcare Providers?
There are several features of patient correspondence that make it significant for the hospital’s survival and growth. It enables healthcare providers to comply with the necessary laws and treat their patients correctly.
Below, we have discussed some primary aspects of communication in healthcare that all providers should work upon:
Diagnostic Precision
Doctors depend on patient stories to make diagnostic decisions. Therefore, providers should give patients a comfortable environment to open up and share every detail. Instead, they face interruptions from the hospital staff and physicians that compromise the quality of healthcare communication.
As a result, many physicians make incorrect clinical diagnoses, affecting the patient’s care plan. Thus, healthcare providers must:
- Focus on diagnostic accuracy by encouraging patients to share their medical history
- Get in touch with their previous caregivers to collect relevant information
- Promote patient-centred healthcare communication wherein patients are free to offer their views
Discipline In Filling Prescriptions
More than half a million Australians didn’t fill their prescriptions because of high costs in 2020-21. However, the increasing healthcare prices are only one factor that refrains patients from filling prescriptions and adhering to their GP’s instructions.
The prime reason for ineffective healthcare communication is that doctors fail to discuss the treatment details, medications, associated costs, etc., with patients. Thus, patients are left to follow the prescriptions as they see fit, without proper guidance.
Also, as said above, diagnostic inaccuracies can prevent patients from getting proper treatment. Therefore, they might stop adhering to the prescriptions or change their provider after seeing no positive changes. Proper healthcare communication is the key to the patient’s good health, helping providers boost retention rates.
Patient Satisfaction
Patient satisfaction depends on their interactions with their physician and the provider’s whole staff. It makes a broad difference to a hospital’s brand awareness and reputation.
For example, a satisfied patient who is happy with your treatment (both clinical and personal) is likely to give referrals. On the other hand, poor communication in healthcare leads to negative publicity, which can eventually hurt your business.
Therefore, always consider patient satisfaction as the core objective of your healthcare communication strategies.
Health Outcomes and Patient Safety
Outstanding health outcomes reflect the importance of good communication between patients and health professionals. There are always positive associations between a patient’s health and improved communication skills in the following areas:
- Health status- Depression, headache, low patient distress, etc.
- Physiologic measures- glucose level, blood pressure, etc.
The health of your patients speaks volumes about your services in the short and long term. It showcases your expertise in the most indirect yet significant form. Thus, try making arrangements for better environments for patient interviews and offering them the care they need.
Also, remember that failing to do so while communicating with patients can lead to severe consequences. A report shows that 50,000 patients suffer permanent injury because of clinical negligence. Hence, ensure that you pay adequate attention to your patients and channel all your efforts towards positive outcomes.
Team Satisfaction
It is also crucial to keep your staff content along with patient satisfaction. Why? It is because they are the backbone of all healthcare services. Your staff coordinates everything from managing a patient’s reports to scheduling appointments. They are the bridge between you and your patients. Hence, they form a vital aspect of effective clinical communication.
- Fair delegation of responsibilities and effective healthcare communication can reduce nurse turnover rates and improve job satisfaction. It also facilitates a cooperative and mutually supportive work environment.
- There is a direct relationship between team satisfaction and patient communication. Hence, you must treat your staff members with dignity and provide them with an excellent working atmosphere.
- Encourage your team members to voice their opinions and participate in the caregiving plan.
Malpractice Reports
The prime cause of increasing healthcare malpractice reports is a communication barrier between patients and doctors. Most patients perceive their physicians as uncaring and irresponsible when they don’t hear them closely and discuss their treatment plans.
Poor listening and improper delivery of clinical details pose severe threats to your healthcare communication plans. Also, dealing with malpractice claims can be expensive in terms of money and reputation.
Therefore, draft healthcare communication strategies and guidelines that eradicate any possibilities of malpractices within your organisation.
Barriers to Effective Patient Communication
Many aspects of your day-to-day operations might restrict you from improving your communication with patients and other parties. Below, we have enlisted some common barriers that most providers face:
Doctors Rushing from One Appointment to Another
Often, we see physicians rushing from one patient to another on a busy day. Though it may seem right to do when you have hundreds of patients lined up, it hampers your healthcare communication.
Skilful communication is about establishing a personal rapport with your patients and soliciting crucial information effectively. However, most doctors barely give their patients more than a few minutes, and it’s not enough! Such doctors and other healthcare workers come across as unprofessional and aloof, damaging the hospital-patient relationship.
Fortunately, you can rectify these situations by giving every patient a few minutes more. You may not be able to take in as many patients as before. But, this added time helps increase the quality of your healthcare communication plans.
Language Problems
Another challenge you may face is conversing with patients whose first language isn’t English. They might find it hard to share any details with you, making it almost impossible for you to make a diagnosis. So, many hospitals have started providing culturally competent care as part of patient communication in healthcare.
Patient Distrust
You cannot expect your patients to trust you blindly and spill their medical history soon after they walk in. They must first become comfortable in your presence, primarily patients facing problems like substance abuse. Your healthcare communication policies should address these things and prepare you to deal with all patients.
Patients withhold crucial clinical details for many reasons, including:
- They are struggling with psychological or physical trauma
- They don’t feel that the physician can help them
- They feel ashamed or disrespected
- They think that the provider isn’t interested in hearing them
Though most of these reasons come from the patient’s pre-judgement, you can reverse their reactions with effective clinical communication.
Mismanagement of Healthcare Files
Healthcare providers have an abundance of patient data to capture and store. All doctors, nurses, and other staff members of your hospital or clinic may have access to the patient files, making it hard to keep them secure and confidential. But, you need to restrict access and keep your healthcare communication details private.
This practice can help you prevent data breaches and limit the breakdowns in communication with patients.
Strategies to Improve Your Patient Communication Skills
It is not rocket science to treat your patients with respect and empathy. Yet, many providers fail to do so because of increasing pressure and demand in the healthcare industry.
Hence, we have mentioned a few strategies you can implement to level up your healthcare communication without spending much.
Avoid Medical Jargon
Speaking in plain, understandable language helps you get the attention of your patients. Otherwise, they would not follow anything, leading to ineffective healthcare communication and poor health outcomes.
Instead of speaking continuously, pause and let the patients sink in the details you deliver. Encourage them to ask questions if they don’t understand something.
If you need to use complicated terminology, ensure that you break them down in layman’s terms. Thus, the patients can understand their diagnosis better and continue with their care plan correctly. Also, this best practice for patient-centred communication helps you increase patient retention.
Ask Questions to Make Your Patient Communication Two-Sided
Most doctors rely on the patients to gather the information they need to make a diagnosis. However, you must understand that your patients might not know what information is relevant and what isn’t. Also, they might not feel comfortable sharing some sensitive details if not asked.
The best way to break the ice and get your patients talking is by asking questions. It is one of the most effective communication techniques with patients. And, remember to ask open-ended questions instead of the yes or no ones. It gives people a better opportunity to explain what they have been experiencing, further helping you draft a proper treatment plan.
Respond to Your Patient’s Emotions
Try exploring your patient’s feelings and thoughts about their medical condition. They might be dealing with a lot, which is both physically and mentally challenging. Hence, respond to their expectations, worries, and enquiries with empathy and kindness. It is one of the best practices for patient-centred communication.
You can start by asking how they feel and how they have been holding up about their problem. It works well for all patients, irrespective of the seriousness of their medical situation.
Another strategy for effective communication in healthcare is asking the patients if they are comfortable involving their families in their treatments. Avoid reaching out to family members without consent, thus, creating a safe zone for your patients.
Seek Common Ground and Value Their Preferences
Naturally, you cannot order your patients to follow a specific care program. You need to partner up with them and agree on the goals and priorities of the treatment. Your healthcare communication plans should include discussing the treatment’s duration, costs, medication options, etc.
Consider the patient’s insurance coverage and lay down a health program that fits into their budget. Agreeing on these things before moving ahead with health care communication and treatment helps you not lose your patients to other providers who are prepared to do so.
Monitor Your Body Language
Body language speaks volumes while communicating with patients. It can make or break your image within a few seconds. For example, not being seated while talking to a patient sets a terrible precedent. You should be at the same level as your patients and face them during the conversation.
Also, try talking softly and humbly. Instruct your staff not to interrupt your consultation sessions because it can create patient discomfort. It is best to keep your mobile phones away and give complete attention to your patients. These simple yet effective communication techniques with patients can do wonders for your organisation.
You can try following the AIDET tool for communicating with patients:
- Acknowledge: Greet your patients with a smile and casual hello. Make them feel that they matter to you
- Introduce yourself: Describe your position and how you can help them. Explain your part in the treatment process
- Duration: Provide patients with an estimate of how long their treatment can take and update them if there are any time changes
- Explain: As said earlier, your patients should be aware of how the medication can benefit them. They should agree to your treatment plans and be ready to follow them.
- Thank: It is a best practice for patient-centred communication to thank patients for their cooperation or involvement
Hold Frequent Staff Meetings and Invest In Training Programs
Conducting weekly meetings can let you and your staff members remain on the same page to maintain effective clinical communication. It allows everyone in the organisation to work towards the same motives and strive to provide top-notch quality services to patients.
Furthermore, try investing in your staff’s training that can help them add to your patient communication strategies. Another thing you can do is automate most of your tasks, like appointment scheduling, sending follow-up reminders, direct mailing medical documents, etc.
Automated direct mail services like PostGrid can help your organisation print and mail numerous types of letters, reports, etc. Hence, you can save your team’s time and channel their efforts elsewhere.
Hire Interpreters
If you get a lot of patients that don’t speak your language, try hiring interpreters to help you out. It enhances your healthcare communication and broadens your target audience. Also, it makes your organisation more accepting and supportive of different communities.
Remember, healthcare settings must provide safe spaces for all patients and not give in to classism, racism, sexism, etc. Thus, ensure to hire staff members that make all your patients feel comfortable, irrespective of who they are or where they come from.
Keep Patient Communication Confidential
The whole hospital staff can access patient data, so you need to employ some restrictions and limit access. It allows you to keep your healthcare communication data safe and confidential, limiting the risk of a data breach that can cost you millions of dollars.
Moreover, avoid indulging in casual gossip about a patient’s health with your colleagues if they aren’t a part of their care team. It violates patient privacy and can lead to broader issues.
How Can PostGrid’s Direct Mail Solutions Aid Your Healthcare Communication?
You may need to interact with many parties throughout the patient communication process. For instance, you may need to contact their insurance agency for claims settlement or transfer their files to another professional for further treatment.
Either way, it is helpful to have a direct mail API like PostGrid in handy to draft, print, and ship documents quickly.
You can send the following documents using PostGrid:
- Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
- Patient billing statements
- Hospital and lab invoices
- Appointment reminders
- Medical statement inserts
- Diagnostic reports
- Mental and physical health records
- Discharge summaries
- Explanation of Coverage (EOC)
- Consent forms
- Marketing or patient acquisition letters
- Survey forms to existing and old patients, etc.
You can integrate our API into your existing CRM and start mailing items directly from your system. Our helpful API docs make it easy and quick for you to set everything up in a few minutes. PostGrid allows you to boost your healthcare communication strategies effortlessly and without burning a hole in your pockets.
You can customise your documents with your logo, contact information, etc., to improve your communication in healthcare further. Also, PostGrid offers several pre-built templates to help you save time drafting documents. However, our list of features does not stop here and also includes:
- Per-piece tracking
- Variable data printing
- Data privacy and security
- Wide range of direct mail types
- Address verification
- List compilation
- Bulk mailing
- Campaign monitoring
- Various pricing plans, etc.
Wrapping Up
Because of the ever-increasing competition, healthcare providers must focus on patient communication policies and strategies. They should prioritise the patient’s preferences and concerns at every organisation level.
Another crucial aspect of communication in healthcare is following the proper rules while transmitting files from one provider to another. Take care to follow the necessary laws and prevent data breaches.
PostGrid’s print and mail API is PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2 – IRAP (Australia), ISAE 3402, ISO 9001, and ISO 27001 certified. Also, it complies with the Privacy Act 1988 to help you send out your documents legally.
Are you interested in learning further how PostGrid direct mail API can assist you in your healthcare communication strategies? Request a demo now to cut costs and save manual effort!
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source https://www.postgrid.com.au/improve-healthcare-communication/
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