Vanessa Passero

Student #: 810239541
Thursday February 27, 2014
John Stone
Author:
Journal: International Nursing Review
How to talk to doctors- a guide for effective communication

Good communication between health care workers is of extreme importance due to the
fact that it aids in reducing errors, improving client care and maintains professional relationships.
The topic of the article How to talk to doctors- a guide for effective communication, is
about the importance of good communication between nurses and doctors, and the realistic issues
they may face when exchanging information. I selected this article because effective
communication techniques and being more vocal are areas that need development for me. I felt
that by choosing this topic for my paper, I would get the opportunity to research techniques and
suggestions to improve my communication techniques in the clinical setting. One key point from
the article is that within the healthcare field, effective communication between doctors and
nurses is important, however there are realistic barriers that interfere with communication.
Another key point is that communication between these team members is a vital component in
improving client care, reducing errors and maintaining professional/functional relationships
within the workplace. Effective communication plays a central role in the development and
maintenance of collaborative relationships between healthcare workers and their patients, and
between members of the healthcare team (Curtis, Tzannes, Rudge, 2011). Lastly, another key
point is that, despite the barriers healthcare professionals may face when dealing with
communication, there are ways to adapt and learn from these obstacles. The author suggests
being cognizant of team members personal circumstances and how that may affect
communication (ex: stress), and taking time to prepare the structure and content of your message
to aid in smooth and effective delivery. Three implications this article has for nursing practice is
communication determines patient safety, clinicians well-being, and clinical quality.

Patient Safety

Within the nursing/healthcare profession, patient safety is always the main priority.
Healthcare involves many professionals, with different scopes of practice, collaborating together
for a specific purpose: the patient. In order for a team to collaborate and work effectively
together, these professionals have to communicate vital information to one another, in an
organized and efficient manner. When considering the chaos and time constraints healthcare
workers face, communication can often be difficult. Miscommunication leads to
misinterpretation/errors, thus putting the patients safety at risk. Universally, no one medical or
nursing specialty or practice environment is immune from error if poor communication exists.
(Curtis, Tzannes, Rudge, 2011) If clinicians take the time to prepare their information in a clear
manner, there will be no room for error or misinterpretation thus making it a safer environment
for the patient. It is a nurses responsibility to take leadership and provide the best possible care
for the client. Nurses achieve this by continuously focusing on client centered care and advocacy
(advocating for a patient requires communication within the team). Each nurse demonstrates
his/her leadership by providing, facilitating and promoting the best possible care/service to the
public (CNO, 2013.)
Clinicians Well-being
Despite the fact that healthcare is based on client centered care and patient safety, the
clinicians must be working under optimal conditions in order to solely focus on the client.
Optimal conditions include creating and maintaining professional relationships and a
professional environment. Poor professional relationships among team members leads to a
stressful environment, therefore creating a distraction from focusing on patient and their best
interest. Creating professional and positive relationships involves good communication and
respect. Poor communication is also one of the most common elements of stress among

healthcare professionals. Research among nurses in critical care workplaces found significant
correlation between communication with peers and supervisors and job satisfaction. In particular,
an attentive communication style and avoidance of authoritarian communication styles were
shown to significantly affect nurses perceptions of nurse-doctor collaboration and nurse
satisfaction (Curtis, Tzannes, Rudge, 2011.) Working as a team versus a hierarchy and giving
each member the same amount of consideration and respect, despite their scope of practice is a
vital component of a sound professional relationship. Professional relationships based on trust
and respect, and results in improved client care. (CNO, 2013.)
Clinical Quality
Generally, the clinicians well-being and degree of client safety collectively effects the
overall clinical quality. Together, these variables ensure that the focus remains on the safety of
the patient, errors are reduced, and the team is working in a functional, professional environment.
In turn this positive atmosphere contributes to a productive workplace, which leads to patient
satisfaction. Effective communication creates functional professional relationships, and promotes
client safety which in turn leads to a positive and productive clinical setting, therefore
establishing satisfied patients/public. Interdisciplinary collaboration has been identified as an
essential element of quality health care. (Coeling, 2000.) Having a good overall clinical quality
has an implication on nursing practice because it creates an optimal setting for nurses to practice,
concentrate and focus on the main goal: client centered care.
Overall, the article acknowledges the importance of communication between clinicians
in the healthcare settings. It outlines some of the issues that prevent effective communication
from taking place such as chaotic environments, and frequent interruptions. Although doctors
and nurses have different scopes of practice and roles within the healthcare settings, there is a

growing interdependence between the two jobs. Therefore, it is vital to have effective
communication for the sake of patient safety, clinicians well-being and clinical quality. In
addition, the article also outlined suggestions on how to overcome ineffective communication. I
agree with the authors key points and believe that working in a team can be challenging,
especially when collaborating professionals with different scopes of practice and increasing
workloads. However, by implementing quality assurance programs and ensuring healthcare
professionals practice continued competence related to communication, together we can perfect
this issue and improve patient care. Currently, there are programs implemented such as SBAR
(Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation) which is a tool used to organize vital
information when nurses are communicating with doctors. This tool ensures that there is no
unnecessary information, or confusion and your message can be shared fast and efficiently. The
bottom line is communication between doctors and nurses is essential to accomplish a common
goal.

References
Curtis, K., Tzannes, A., & Rudge, T. (2011). How to talk to doctors - a guide for effective
communication. International Nursing Review, 58(1), 13-20. doi:10.1111/j.14667657.2010.00847.x
College of Nurses of Ontario. (CNO). (2013). Practice Standard: Therapeutic Nurse-Client
Relationship, Revised 2006. Retrieved from
http://www.cno.org/Global/docs/prac/41033_Therapeutic.pdf
College of Nurses of Ontario. (CNO). (2013) Practice Standard: Professional Standards, Revised
2002. Retrieved from
http://www.cno.org/Global/docs/prac/41006_ProfStds.pdf?epslanguage=en
Coeling, V. E. (2000). Communication styles that promote perceptions of collaboration, quality,
and nurse satisfaction. . Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Retrieved from
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.rap.ocls.ca/ehost/detail?sid=2c7cba1f-526e-490a-933ab5d79a368986@sessionmgr4003&vid=1&hid=4201&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHV
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