The Role of Interpersonal Relations in Healthcare Team Communication and Patient Safety

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Tsz-Sum Lee ◽  
Diane Marie Doran
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Healthcare Team ◽  
Team Communication ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Communicative Behavior

Patient safety is compromised by medical errors and adverse events related to miscommunications among healthcare providers. Communication among healthcare providers is affected by human factors, such as interpersonal relations. Yet, discussions of interpersonal relations and communication are lacking in healthcare team literature. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that explains how interpersonal relations among healthcare team members affect communication and team performance, such as patient safety. We synthesized studies from health and social science disciplines to construct a theoretical framework that explicates the links among these constructs. From our synthesis, we identified two relevant theories: framework on interpersonal processes based on social relation model and the theory of relational coordination. The former involves three steps: perception, evaluation, and feedback; and the latter captures relational communicative behavior. We propose that manifestations of provider relations are embedded in the third step of the framework on interpersonal processes: feedback. Thus, varying team-member relationships lead to varying collaborative behavior, which affects patient-safety outcomes via a change in team communication. The proposed framework offers new perspectives for understanding how workplace relations affect healthcare team performance. The framework can be used by nurses, administrators, and educators to improve patient safety, team communication, or to resolve conflicts.

scholarly journals Assessment of Patient Safety Culture among Healthcare Providers

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Hilal H. Alrahbi ◽  
Shamsa K. Al-Toqi ◽  
Sajini Sony ◽  
Nuha Al-Abri
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Safety Culture ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Patient Safety Culture ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Royal Court ◽  
Correlational Design ◽  
Quality Of Patient Care

PURPOSE: Patient safety is an important element in ensuring quality of patient care and accreditation. This study aimed to assess the perception of patient safety culture among the healthcare providers; assess the areas of strength and improvement related to patient safety culture; and assess the relationship between patient safety culture and demographic variables of the sample. METHOD: Descriptive correlational design was employed in this study. Data was collected using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC). A stratified random sample of 158 healthcare providers from the Diwan of Royal Court Health Complex in Muscat participated in this study. RESULTS: The findings of this study indicated that most of the participants responded positively to the HSPSC items. The average percentage of positive responses was 56.4%. The major areas of strength were “teamwork within department,” “feedback and communication about errors,” and “organizational learning-continuous improvement” (83%, 77%, & 75%; respectively). The major areas of improvement were “frequency of events reported,” “teamwork across departments,” “non-punitive response to errors” and “overall perception of PS” (34%, 42%, 45% & 47%; respectively). Significant differences found were across “patient contact” characteristic [t (156) = 2.142, p = .034]; across “work specializations” [F (3, 154) = 2.84, p = .04]; and across “years of experience at the institution” [F (4, 153) = 4.86, p = .004]. CONCLUSION: A culture that is safe for healthcare providers to work is paramount to minimize adverse events and save patients’ lives. The findings of this study provide a foundation for further interventions to improve patient safety culture. 

Republished: Interprofessional education in team communication: working together to improve patient safety

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (1057) ◽  
pp. 642-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Brock ◽  
Erin Abu-Rish ◽  
Chia-Ru Chiu ◽  
Dana Hammer ◽  
Sharon Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Team Communication ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Improve Patient

scholarly journals A strategic framework for selecting adverse events in healthcare for investigation to improve patient safety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athar Ali Tajik
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Selection Mechanism ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Improve Patient

AimsThis paper aims to address the research question: What is an effective framework to strategically select nationally reported serious adverse events in healthcare for investigation to improve patient safety? BackgroundThe healthcare system is globally under strain due to an aging population with increasing co-morbidities. Serious adverse events remain a consistent challenge. Patient safety can be improved by investigating cases and addressing underlying systemic risks. However, due to resource limitations, only a limited number of cases can be investigated. This necessitates a strategic selection of cases with the greatest potential for improving patient safety. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework that identifies the key strategic issues that should be addressed when setting up a new national healthcare safety investigative body to select adverse events for investigation.MethodsThis study will primarily draw on semi-structured interviews with senior stakeholders in key healthcare regulatory agencies in Norway. For comparative purposes, a stakeholder from a key United Kingdom healthcare agency was also interviewed. The interview template is developed based on insights from a literature review and develop existing safety frameworks such as the Framework for Managing Risk. The paper also draws on selected tools from Strategy Management.ResultsA novel theoretical framework was developed to help set up case selection mechanism in a new national investigative body. The framework consists of four strategic themes that should be considered both sequentially and cyclically. Within each theme several key policy questions were identified.(1)Governance: role and powers, independence, and stakeholder engagement (2)Monitoring risk: adverse events, quality indicators, and unexplained variation(3)Strategic portfolio: broad coverage, vulnerable groups, and underreporting (4)Individual case selection: outcome, systemic risk, and learning potentialConclusionsPolicy makers should carefully consider the themes and questions in the proposed theoretical framework when setting up a new national safety investigative agency. In turn, this can ensure that the implemented selection mechanism identifies cases with the greatest potential to improve patient safety.

Regional Patient Safety Initiatives

2011 ◽  
pp. 1491-1503
Author(s):  
James G. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Organizational Changes ◽  
Voluntary Reporting ◽  
Hospital Size ◽  
Medication Error Reporting ◽  
Corrective Actions ◽  
Southwestern Pennsylvania

Data-sharing systems—where healthcare providers jointly implement a common reporting system to promote voluntary reporting, information sharing, and learning—are emerging as an important regional, state-level, and national strategy for improving patient safety. The objective of this chapter is to review the evidence regarding the effectiveness of these data-sharing systems and to report on the results of an analysis of data from the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative (PRHI). PRHI consists of 42 hospitals, purchasers, and insurers in southwestern Pennsylvania that implemented Medmarx, an online medication error reporting systems. Analysis of data from the PRHI hospitals indicated that the number of errors and corrective actions reported initially varied widely with organizational characteristics such as hospital size, JCAHO accreditation score and teaching status. But the subsequent trends in reporting errors and reporting actions were different. Whereas the number of reported errors increased significantly, and at similar rates, across the participating hospitals, the number of corrective actions reported per error remained mostly unchanged over the 12-month period. A computer simulation model was developed to explore organizational changes designed to improve patient safety. Four interventions were simulated involving the implementation of computerized physician order entry, decision support systems and a clinical pharmacist on hospital rounds. The results of this study carry implications for the design and assessment of data-sharing systems. Improvements in patient safety require more than voluntary reporting and clinical initiatives. Organizational changes are essential in order to significantly reduce medical errors and adverse events.

Regional Patient Safety Initiatives

2010 ◽  
pp. 167-179
Author(s):  
James G. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Organizational Changes ◽  
Voluntary Reporting ◽  
Hospital Size ◽  
Medication Error Reporting ◽  
Corrective Actions ◽  
Southwestern Pennsylvania

Data-sharing systems—where healthcare providers jointly implement a common reporting system to promote voluntary reporting, information sharing, and learning—are emerging as an important regional, state-level, and national strategy for improving patient safety. The objective of this chapter is to review the evidence regarding the effectiveness of these data-sharing systems and to report on the results of an analysis of data from the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative (PRHI). PRHI consists of 42 hospitals, purchasers, and insurers in southwestern Pennsylvania that implemented Medmarx, an online medication error reporting systems. Analysis of data from the PRHI hospitals indicated that the number of errors and corrective actions reported initially varied widely with organizational characteristics such as hospital size, JCAHO accreditation score and teaching status. But the subsequent trends in reporting errors and reporting actions were different. Whereas the number of reported errors increased significantly, and at similar rates, across the participating hospitals, the number of corrective actions reported per error remained mostly unchanged over the 12-month period. A computer simulation model was developed to explore organizational changes designed to improve patient safety. Four interventions were simulated involving the implementation of computerized physician order entry, decision support systems and a clinical pharmacist on hospital rounds. The results of this study carry implications for the design and assessment of data-sharing systems. Improvements in patient safety require more than voluntary reporting and clinical initiatives. Organizational changes are essential in order to significantly reduce medical errors and adverse events.

scholarly journals LO66: Strengthening team communication may decrease medico-legal risk for physicians in the emergency department

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S31-S32
Author(s):  
A. MacIntyre ◽  
Q. Yang ◽  
R. De Gorter ◽  
S. Lee ◽  
L. Calder
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Team Communication ◽  
Legal Cases ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Legal Risk ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Enhance Patient Safety

Introduction: In a busy emergency department (ED), effective communication is integral to the provision of safe medical care. Physicians working in the ED interact with multiple team members including patients, allied healthcare professionals and other physicians, who all need to understand their verbal and written instructions. Our study's objective was to identify and describe communication problems occurring in the ED setting, and how these problems contributed to patient safety events and increased medico-legal risk for physicians. Methods: The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) is a not-for-profit, medico-legal organization which represented over 97,000 physicians at the time of this study. We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis where we extracted five years (2013-2017) of CMPA data describing closed medico-legal cases occurring in the ED involving physicians (any specialty) who experienced complaints due to communication issues. We then applied an internal contributing factor framework to identify data themes. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: We identified 517 eligible cases involving 521 patients (some cases involved >1 patient). We found that 99.8% (520/521) of patients experienced some form of healthcare-related harm in the ED. Specifically, there was poor communication between: the physician and patient or patient's family (202/517, 39.1%); two or more physicians (79/517, 15.3%), and physicians and other healthcare providers (55/517, 10.6%). Inadequate documentation was observed in more than half of the cases (324/517, 62.7%) and poor team communication affected physicians’ decision making process (326/517, 63%) in areas such as deficient assessments, inadequate investigations, failure or delay to attend to the patient, and disposition decisions. Conclusion: Team communication issues are prevalent among physician medico-legal cases occurring in the ED. Efforts to strengthen communication skills may enhance patient safety and reduce medico-legal risk.

Herbal medicines

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Wiffen ◽  
Marc Mitchell ◽  
Melanie Snelling ◽  
Nicola Stoner
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
General Information ◽  
Chinese Herbs ◽  
The Public ◽  
Potential Interactions ◽  
Improve Patient

This chapter is aimed at all healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public to provide a brief insight to the importance of herbal medicines. The six sections provide a summary into the efficacy, general information relating to commonly used herbal medicines and Chinese herbs, including side effects and potential interactions with other medicines and surgical considerations that should improve patient safety. New to this edition is a section aimed at healthcare providers on sourcing evidence for herbal medicines enquiries from patients and the public.

Affective influences on clinical reasoning and diagnosis: insights from social psychology and new research opportunities

Diagnosis ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanyu Liu ◽  
Hannah Chimowitz ◽  
Linda M. Isbell
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Clinical Reasoning ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Diagnostic Errors ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Medical Decision ◽  
Great Promise

Abstract Psychological research consistently demonstrates that affect can play an important role in decision-making across a broad range of contexts. Despite this, the role of affect in clinical reasoning and medical decision-making has received relatively little attention. Integrating the affect, social cognition, and patient safety literatures can provide new insights that promise to advance our understanding of clinical reasoning and lay the foundation for novel interventions to reduce diagnostic errors and improve patient safety. In this paper, we briefly review the ways in which psychologists differentiate various types of affect. We then consider existing research examining the influence of both positive and negative affect on clinical reasoning and diagnosis. Finally, we introduce an empirically supported theoretical framework from social psychology that explains the cognitive processes by which these effects emerge and demonstrates that cognitive interventions can alter these processes. Such interventions, if adapted to a medical context, hold great promise for reducing errors that emerge from faulty thinking when healthcare providers experience different affective responses.

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