Best practice approach: How to improve clinical communication interactions

Statement of the Problem: With the advent of technology and the advancement of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), clinical communication interactions have been impacted leading to a detached relationship between stakeholders in the clinical practice setting (Patients, nurses, physicians, staff, and family). Too often, there is a detached sense of reality in the clinical practice setting whereby the skill/technology becomes the focus of the interaction and the patient/family gets lost in the process.

Methodology: Real world examples will be reviewed and analyzed for their relative contribution. Using EBP resources and a common-sense approach, strategies will be discussed that will hopefully improve clinical communication interactions in the practice setting.

Findings: The value of placing “humanity and compassion” back at the bedside will lead to improved outcomes in healthcare whereby the clinical communication interaction is utilized rather than excluded due to technological advances. Clinical judgment and clinical decisionmaking often are lost as the technological focus overrides the responsibility and accountability to make accurate assessments based on clinical data. The cornerstone of “what if,” “why” and “how” are not being addressed in a timely manner leading to crisis clinical management rather than preventative management.

Conclusion & Significance: Bringing back respect into the clinical communication interactions will help facilitate improved outcomes and valued relationships in the practice setting. Use communication techniques at the bedside and maintain an open dialogue whereby data is observed, recorded, and analyzed in a real time rather than as an historical event. Enabling the nurse at the bedside to seek answers and analyze rather than react as a data entry point of contact will help facilitate outcomes.