Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

You have discussed a serious communication issue, working in an interdisciplinary team in your previous subacute clinic, a factor that contributed to one patient acquiring homonymous hemianopia. The communication breakdown was a common issue, especially at interprofessional settings, mostly in the form of failing to understand the treatment priorities of a colleague and intensive caseload as you have stated. It is therefore essential to consider some other strategies of avoiding communication issues in future. Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

To begin with, defining the treatment priorities as well as preventing the misunderstandings towards prioritizing communications on discharge-based goals early enough during interprofessional meetings and, collaborating with healthcare specialists such as neuropsychologists is the first strategy (Alderwick et al., 2021). Additionally, through the use of interprofessional education as well as simulations in associated health professional programs, competencies in terms of roles can greatly be improved and team member collaboration be encouraged, hence impacting the best ever patient-centered care as you have stated (Guttman et al., 2021).

ORDER  HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Along with emphasis pertaining the essentials of variables impacting decision-making in a group, I agree with you that organized steps effectively enhance open communication, shared leadership as well as clear knowledge of the specific responsibilities of each team member. Through the introduction of ideas such as the need of non-confrontational language, respect, and understanding during strategic communication can as well improve the interprofessional comfort and confidence while communicating issues pertaining all the patient care plans (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021). I am glad to have read your post and have gained a lot concerning your communication experiences at subacute clinic. Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

References

Alderwick, H., Hutchings, A., Briggs, A., & Mays, N. (2021). The impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations and factors shaping how they work: a systematic review of reviews. BMC Public Health, 21, 1-16.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10630-1

Guttman, O. T., Lazzara, E. H., Keebler, J. R., Webster, K. L., Gisick, L. M., & Baker, A. L. (2021). Dissecting communication barriers in healthcare: a path to enhancing communication resiliency, reliability, and patient safety. Journal of patient safety, 17(8), e1465-e1471. DOI: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000541

Kwame, A., & Petrucka, P. M. (2021). A literature-based study of patient-centered care and communication in nurse-patient interactions: barriers, facilitators, and the way forward. BMC nursing, 20(1), 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00684-2 Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

Peer response

Jaimee Fielder
3/15/24, 5:02 PM NEW
Context: My experience in a communication breakdown leading to an issue on an interdisciplinary team took place while I was working in a subacute clinic for adults with acquired brain injury. Team communication was integral due to the complexity of patient needs, the nature of our transitional program, and the substantial discharge planning required, knowing this clinic was likely their final stop in the care continuum. Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

Communication Breakdown: I worked with a woman who had homonymous hemianopia, which means that she had a loss of the left half of her visual field in both eyes; this is a diagnosis that is often permanent and deems her ineligible for returning to driving in the state of Texas. We would discuss alternatives to driving, such as ridesharing, community resources, or public transportation, but she would never commit to a true plan despite her impending discharge date. Later in a team meeting, I found out that one of the other therapists was heavily working on other skills to return to drive with the expectation that she would have this opportunity. The breakdown of communication in our evaluation findings and treatment plans created confusion with the patient, provided her with a false sense of hope, and created a more time-pressured approach to planning driving alternatives at the end of her rehab. Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

Cause of the Breakdown: The breakdown of communication was not intentional, though it could have been avoided. It resulted from a communication error between staff members, which is attributed as one of the most common types of interprofessional communication issues (Rabol et al., 2011). This error may also have been rooted in not understanding the colleague’s treatment priorities with this patient, compounded by a heavy caseload (Gleeson et al., 2022).

Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

Recommendations/Strategies: We learned from this error as a team and prioritized discussing transportation and other discharge-based goals and recommendations early in interprofessional meetings, bolstering a facilitator to communication by varying our methods (Gleeson et al., 2022); we prioritized collaboration with the neuropsychologist with potential issues attaining goals, such as driving and return to work, to help with the adjustment phase of rehabilitation with this population. In my position now as a professor, I see the value in integrating interprofessional education and simulations within allied health professional programs to increase role competency, gain confidence with collaboration, and understand areas of overlapping scope to optimize communication and a client-centered approach (Sezgin & Bektas, 2023). Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper

Factors in Group Decision-Making: Team-based decision-making is crucial for holistic patient care. Many factors can influence how a team makes decisions, but it is important to consider these processes can be structured to support thorough communication, require a component of shared leadership, and thoroughly understand one’s personal role and the role of the others on the team (Bouchez et al., 2024). Hewitt et al. (2015) introduced a concept called tactical communication, where respect and understanding are at the forefront of conversations, focusing on non-judgmental and non-confrontational language to help with interprofessional comfort and confidence when presenting information or ideas. We must remain flexible in our approaches, respect those on our team, understand that we can learn from errors, and communicate directly if we come across a challenge in our car Situations That Lead to Team Communication Errors Discussion Paper