Effective Patient-Physician Communication - Key to Effective Patient Care

News Headlines: Communication breakdown leads to Patient Death

A 67-year-old patient, referred to emergency with a suspected transient ischemic attack. He
was seen by a junior doctor on duty, who arranged a CT scan for the following morning. The
radiologist was not able to report the scan straight away, but the patient was told that he could
go home and that his doctor would be contacted in due course with the result of his tests.Two
weeks later, the patient was found dead.
Yes, Dead. You read it right.
What went wrong?

IN
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The current scenario

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The hospital in which the patient was admitted was changing their systems from paper records
to electronic records. The radiologist had lodged his report in the electronic system, but this had
not been transferred to the patients case notes, hence it could not be communicated to the
doctor which ultimately costed the patient his life.

Courtesy- http://healthbizinforma.com

According to the Joint Commission, which is a United States-based organization that accredits
health care organizations and programs in the United States, Medical Errors appeared on the
National Center for Health Statistics list of the top 10 causes of death in the United States,
ahead of accidents, diabetes, and Alzheimers disease, as well as AIDS, breast cancer, and
gunshot wounds. If such is the case with developed countries,we can only predict the situation
in developing and under-developed nations. More specifically, the Joint Commission cites
Communication Failures as the leading root cause for medication errors, delays in treatment,
and wrong-site surgeries, as well as the second most frequently cited root cause for operative
and postoperative events and fatal falls.

The way ahead

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Responding to the current scenario,International bodies like JCI (Joint Commission

International) have introduced International patient safety goals which focus on the importance
of effective communication in healthcare settings and how it leads to patient safety. National
standards like National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare (NABH) have also
emphasized on the need of effective communication regarding treatment, prognosis, discharge
and patient rights.

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Safe practices and effective patient-centered communication is the basis of quality care. The
first visit for a patient is a crucial encounter that can either lead to the development of a
therapeutic patient-doctor relationship or end in patient harm or extreme dissatisfaction. The
entire process from entry to discharge has to be completed within a stipulated time frame and
hence it becomes imperative for all the crucial communications to be made within that time with
regard to treatment plan, possible complications, medication, prevention techniques etc. A
review of reports from the Joint Commission reveals that communication failures were
implicated at the root of over 70 percent of sentinel events.
Patient Physician communication plays the most vital role in building a good doctor patient
relationship and eventually good care. While modern and sophisticated technologies may be
used for medical diagnosis and treatment, inter-personal communication is the primary tool by
which the physician and the patient exchange necessary information. Hence, the
healthcare facilities need to make extra efforts in ensuring that they treat the patient with the
best Patient Physician communication along with the treatment.
Ginny Kaushal,
Faculty, INLEAD