Patients turn to health providers in their time of need so patient communication is not only vital to patient satisfaction and experience but also to the delivery of effective treatment and achieving positive health outcomes. Building good communication skills should be a priority for healthcare professionals.
Importance of communication in healthcare
Patients need to be able to communicate their symptoms, medical history, and other health information for the healthcare team to efficiently and accurately formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan. On the other hand, healthcare professionals need to be able to effectively communicate questions, next steps, and all the information necessary for patients to make informed decisions about their treatment. In some cases, this communication exchange is a life and death situation so it has to happen in an intense clinical setting.
Building trust and patient-centric care
Good communication, no matter the setting, doesn’t tend to happen without trust. The doctor-patient relationship, conveyed through both non-verbal and verbal communication, should make patients feel safe, listened to, understood, and respected. This is called patient-centered care. It ensures patients are fully engaged in the process which doctors need to gather all necessary information and have patients follow through on treatment plans.
The 5 Fundamentals Of Patient Communication
Good communication that improves the patient experience and leads to positive health outcomes follows the 5 fundamentals of the AIDET method. It’s designed to help healthcare providers communicate with empathy even in intense clinical situations and engage patients by treating them as individuals.
The AIDET Method
- Acknowledge – Before anything else, greet patients and any loved ones they have bought with them. Use their name and make eye contact.
- Introduce – Explain who you are and the role you play in the health care provision so patients understand who they are talking to.
- Duration – Provide an expected timeframe for the current interaction as well as a timeframe for any updates, follow-up appointments, or results.
- Explanation – Explain what exactly is going to happen and when step by step. Answer any questions they have before letting them know how they can contact you for follow-up questions.
- Thank you – Don’t forget to thank the patient for choosing you as their healthcare provider and for cooperating. It’s also a good idea to thank any loved ones for their support.
10 Essential Communication Strategies in The Healthcare Business
As the health care provider, it’s your responsibility to be proactive about establishing good communication and supporting the doctor-patient relationship. There are some simple strategies you can implement to ease effective communication and build rapport with patients.
1. Empathy
Patient-centered care recognizes that patients are more than their symptoms and health conditions. Often the problems patients turn to health care professionals to solve are highly emotive. Communicate with an understanding of the emotional toll and respect for the patient’s perspective.
2. Active Listening
Feeling heard is a really important part of patient engagement. Health professionals can indicate that they are listening to a patient and taking in everything they are saying through active listening. Show attentiveness by making eye contact and focusing only on them and then responding directly to what they are saying.
3. Clear and Jargon-Free Language
Often the biggest blocker to effective communication in the doctor-patient relationship is the language used. The medical education of clinicians provides them with specialist language that patients simply cannot comprehend. Save that language for liaising with colleagues and switch the language used in consultations to that which is clear and jargon-free.
4. Non-Verbal Communication
It’s not just about what you say but how you say it. Patients pick up on body language. From the facial expression to the tone of voice, ensure body language is communicating respect, attentiveness, and empathy. Non-verbal communication helps patients trust in the doctor-patient relationship.
5. Include Loved Ones in Discussions
Some patients like their loved ones to be involved in consultations and decision-making for emotional or practical support. Be open to that. It not only eases stress but means someone else has digested the given health information so the patient is less likely to miss or misunderstand what has been said. Another person might think of questions to ask during the consultation that the patient wouldn’t have the headspace to think of.
6. Be Mindful of Potential Bias
Accepting that bias happens in the healthcare industry is the first step to preventing bias. Be self-aware enough to notice where bias could appear within the organization as a whole and on an individual basis and actively take steps to minimize it. Healthcare providers are duty-bound to provide a safe environment for their patients.
7. Multiple Formats
Different people best digest information in different ways. While some prefer verbal communication, others prefer the written word or visual diagrams. After each verbal consultation, follow up with another form of communication whether a leaflet, email, or video. This gives patients something to look back on to solidify their understanding.
8. Shared Decision Making
When delivering patient-centered care, patients should feel empowered by effective communication. That means allowing them to be involved in the decision-making process instead of being told what to do. While the trained clinician has the expertise to create positive health outcomes, shared decision-making with patients ensures understanding and builds trust in the chosen treatment plan.
9. Team Transparency
When building your communication skills as a team, support each other. Create an environment where colleagues, nurses, doctors, physicians, and everyone in between can give each other advice and suggestions without fear of negative consequences. Self-reflection is great. An outside perspective supports effective communication even further.
10. Summarize Along the Way
Minimize the chance of misunderstandings on both sides by summarizing what is being discussed along the way. This validates that the clinician understands what the patient is trying to communicate while also showing attentiveness. It validates that the patient understands what they are being told as well, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
Overcoming Communication Challenges With Patients
There are some common barriers to good communication in the doctor-patient relationship that healthcare providers should be proactive about minimizing.
Language Barriers
We live in a globalized world where it’s very likely that a significant segment of your patients won’t speak English as their first language. It’s vital that they are able to clearly communicate with you and that they are able to understand what you are communicating. There are ways to ensure clarity such as employing multi-lingual clinicians and using real-time translation software.
Cultural Sensitivity
It’s really important for healthcare providers to recognize the impact cultural diversity has on patient communication. Cultural differences influence patient beliefs and behaviors in relation to health care including how they communicate their symptoms, their preferred treatments, and their trust in health care professionals. Take the time to understand cultural factors influencing individual patients to strengthen communication and trust.
Addressing Emotional and Sensitive Topics
By nature, health care involves intense emotions. From navigating life and death situations to explaining the potential risks of treatment options, not all doctor-patient conversations are easy to have. It’s when discussing sensitive topics that could trigger intense emotions that communication isn’t always the clearest. Clinicians being available to answer questions, giving patients time to make decisions, and providing multiple formats of information help patients stay informed despite the emotional nature of the situation.
Technology in Patient Communication
Technology has the potential to massively improve the effectiveness and ease of patient communication. With the right tools in place, patients can access vital health information and even treatment without having to make an in-person appointment.
Telemedicine and remote communication.
In cases of low concern, 60% of patients would prefer to contact a health facility over the phone or via technology. It’s more convenient and time-effective for both patients and healthcare professionals. Phone appointments are a great way to support patients with low-concern issues so patients with more risky conditions can be prioritized. Remote monitoring allows patients to leave the hospital and return to their homes sooner without compromising on health outcomes.
Digital tools for patient engagement.
Healthcare digital tools can support patient engagement and communication by making it easier to access the information they are looking for. For example, healthcare providers can offer patients tools that enable online appointment booking, digital result reports, online prescription tracking, digital health screenings, and much more all from the comfort of their own homes.
Communication Skills Training for Healthcare Professionals
An unmissable step in the improvement of patient communication is staff training. Whether you are introducing new procedures or digital tools for patient communication, give staff the training they need to effectively utilize them.
Communication Skills Development
As a baseline, look at programs, in-house or external, for the development of communication skills. It will set expectations and give clinicians the information they need to provide good communication and strengthen their relationships with patients.
Continuing Education Programs
Make communication skills part of the continued professional development for all roles of the healthcare team. This will keep patient communication top of mind and improve ability and confidence in effective communication. There’s a lot to learn about patient behavior, doctor-patient relationships, and the cultural differences that influence them.
With the right strategies in place on a facility-wide and individual professional basis, you will make strides in patient communication, the experience you provide, and the outcomes you are able to achieve.
