Healthcare professionals have diverse ways of communicating, owing to their difference in training. For example, nurses are trained to be descriptive of medical conditions, while doctors learn to be more straightforward. It is therefore important for nurses to be skilled in collaborating with other physicians in order to avoid medical errors which are likely to cause injury or even patient demise. Some of the communication strategies that can be used are; Situational briefing guide: SBAR; SBAR is a simple, easy to remember standardized communication tool developed by Michael Leonard. It provides a framework for communication among medical professionals on the subject of a patient’s situation.
SBAR is an acronym which simply stands for; Situation: What is the patient’s condition? Background: What is the patient’s medical background?Assessment: What seems to be the problem? Recommendation: What you think should be done. Multidisciplinary rounds using Daily Goals Sheet; The Daily Goals Sheet is a communication tool that helps to define work goals among healthcare providers. Each patient has their own form containing their daily goals of care. The form is signed by attending physicians as they provide input and review the daily goals, and is eventually given to the patient’s nurse. The form is updated as the goals of care change. Team huddles; A team huddle is a meeting of a functional group with a specific focus based on the functions of the team in question. Huddles are useful for a team to address topics such as changes in workload, identifying relevant issues, and prioritizing tasks. This ensures that team members are all on the same page concerning the tasks that need to be accomplished on the particular day.
