Communications framework

It can also lead to extended hospital stays along with poorer health outcomes for the population and the patients served by a healthcare organization. Sprick (2019) argues that over a quarter of readmissions in healthcare centers can be eluded if an organizational establish better communication structures and framework to guide employees on how to communicate with their fellow employees and with those who approach them for care. A patient visiting a healthcare organization expects care and compassion from those within the healthcare environment, may it be front-line workers, housekeepers or even the culinary staff. He/she expects care from families and friends. Given that a patient interacts with almost everyone in the healthcare environment and expects nothing less than effective care and courtesy, it is essential that everyone working in our primary care facility is able to offer an experience that matches or exceeds the consumers’ expectations.

With encoding, it is the process of changing the sender’s thoughts into passable information or message. Decoding is the turning of the message to thoughts or rather interpreting of the sender’s message or intentions. Feedback is the response or reply which the recipient passes back to the sender of interpreting the message. The message passes via the sensory route referred to as a medium or channel. A medium also includes various technological channels like radio, internet, email, newspapers, letter, TV and photographs. Physical context of communication includes physical environmental factors like noise, size, and layout of the room, the brightness of the light and the temperature. When it comes to psychological context, it is the emotional noise and mental factors such as stress, depression, sadness, joy, and anxiety.

The inclusion of feedback or response ensures an interactive encounter between the participants, hence making communication a two-way process (Anonymous, 2012). Figure 2 below shows a visual representation of the interactive communication model. Transaction Model This model is more developed than the previous models discussed above. When people blend in a given setting, they establish some rules and regulations and inherently create some norms and conventions. Rules in a social or organizational context that may define communication may include things like: always say the truth; never interrupt when the boss is speaking; say hi to those you meet, respond with a smile when someone greets you; approach a client with a smile; compliment other genuinely; and, say thank you to those who do favors to you.

One can be punished for not following the set rules. Regarding norms, members of an organization establish these unwritten conventions through observing, trial and error, or through practice. Although one may not be formally punished for violating the norm, he/she must feel guilty for acting against a norm. Training can help, but mostly, it takes practice and reflection for one to become a competent communicator across cultural contexts. In a communication process, relational context can also be said to be the interpersonal relationship. It is the existing relationship between the communicating parties. In addition, it also includes their interpersonal history (Barnlund, 2017). Communicating to someone who you do not know or you have never met would be different from communicating to a friend, a colleague or anybody else who you have interacted with before.

a. Sensory deprivation/disability/physiological-impairment noise These include physical body conditions and maladies that may prevent effective communication. Deafness and blindness are some of the factors under this category. In addition, other conditions such as Cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and Autism can as well hinder a patient’s ability to communicate verbally or even interpret non-verbal gestures and signals (Moss, 2017). b. e. Environmental Noise When there is noise in the physical environment, communication may not be effective, as the receiver may not receive the message well. In addition, other physical environmental factors like lack of privacy, poor lighting, uncomfortable temperatures, and unfavorable weather conditions can hinder or distract someone from communicating effectively (Kee et al, 2018). For instance, a person may avoid sharing his/her feelings or problems if there is a lack of privacy.

f. Sound-proofing rooms 4. Writing posters in multiple languages depending on commonly used languages in the locality 5. Use of facial expressions and gestures when and where appropriate 6. Using various devices like induction loop systems for individuals with hearing impairment 7. Making sure you can see and you are seen by the person you are talking to 8. Doctors, lab technicians, and all staff need to communicate constantly and effectively for smooth operation and efficient provision of care. Inter-colleague collaboration also involves entering data and information into databases accurately. If there is an imprecise communication between departments, a possibility of data entry errors may occur and in turn risk the safety of the patients (Rosen et al, 2018). Those in leadership and management positions should always communicate effectively and frequently with staff, patients and doctors.