A key strategy to support your learning about patient safety is to reflect on basic concepts and how you can apply these concepts in your daily practice. This article is the sixth in a series highlighting a key patient safety topic.
What are the key interpersonal and communication skills required to work effectively within multidisciplinary healthcare teams?
As noted in article five in this series, teams need a playbook!
Teams can take many forms in healthcare:
- as a part of a work unit or community team
- quality/process improvement teams
- ad hoc teams (e.g., teams charged with understanding when things could go wrong in the organization)
- specialty care teams (e.g., code teams, community intravenous program, rapid response teams)
Effective communication and teamwork is essential for the delivery of high quality, safe patient care in all healthcare settings[1]. Communication pitfalls are frequently factors that contribute to patient harm.
Developing effective interprofessional communication within a team involves: [2]
- establishing teamwork communication principles that foster openness and shared decision-making
- actively listening to other team members, including patients/clients/families
- communicating in a way that ensures a common understanding of healthcare decisions
- developing trusting relationships with patients/clients/families and other team members
- effectively using information and communication technology
- involving patients and families as partners in the healthcare team, considering the impact of their health condition, culture, and health literacy
Examples of strategies to enhance interprofessional healthcare team communication:
- Use the tool “SBAR”, which structures communication using the headings “Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation”. This tool helps standardize communication between members of the healthcare team.
- Listen actively (repeat back what is said to confirm understanding)
- Use assertive language techniques, such as “CUS” – “I’m Concerned”, “I’m Uncomfortable”, “This is a Safety Issue”.
- Standardize the use of safety huddles and safety briefings/debriefings as part of the healthcare delivery process to promote open communication
- Develop a consistent program of education to support development of core team and interpersonal skills. An example is:
- TeamSTEPPS ™, a teamwork system developed by the U.S. Department of Defence and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute supports this initiative that “improves safety and transforms culture in healthcare through better teamwork, communication, leadership, situational awareness, and mutual support. TeamSTEPPS™ is an evidence-based teamwork system that optimizes patient care by improving communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals, including frontline staff.”[3]
Team members demonstrate good interprofessional communication when they:
- effectively express their knowledge and opinions to others involved in care
- demonstrate confidence and assertiveness in expressing views respectfully and with clarity
- employ language understood by all involved in healthcare and explain discipline- specific terminology
- explain rationale for opinions
- evaluate effectiveness of communication and modify accordingly
- actively listen to the knowledge and opinions of other team members
- listen to and show genuine interest in the perspectives and contributions of others
- are observant and respectful of non-verbal as well as verbal communications
- confirm that they understand all ideas and opinions expressed
- use technology and other tools to ensure others are continuously updated
- are aware of and use information resources from other professions
- plan and document care on a shared health record
There are many references and websites available on patient safety, communication and interprofessional healthcare teams. For more information, see www.mips.ca, Resources and Tips or call 1-866-927-6477.
Article seven in this series will focus on interpersonal and communication skills required for effectively working with patients and families.
[1] Canadian
Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) Competencies Working Group. A national interprofessional competency
framework. Vancouver BC: CIHC; 2010. Available at:
http://www.cihc.ca/files/CIHC_IPCompetencies_Feb1210.pdf
[2] Ibid
[3] Canadian Patient Safety Institute Retrieved March 11, 2020 https://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca/en/education/TeamSTEPPS/Pages/default.aspx
[3] Canadian Patient Safety Institute Retrieved March 11, 2020 https://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca/en/education/TeamSTEPPS/Pages/default.aspx
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