Quality Benchmark Project- Addressing the Importance of Inter-departmental Communication in Healthcare

Quality Benchmark Project- Addressing the Importance of Inter-departmental Communication in Healthcare

This quality benchmark study will examine the critical issue of inter-departmental communication in healthcare and its effects on patient safety and overall quality of care. This essay will examine the value of clear communication between medical staff members and any prospective changes that can improve patient outcomes. After reading this essay, one will better understand the value of interdepartmental communication, the state of the field’s research, and potential ways to improve it.

Description of the Quality Issue

The value of departmental communication in healthcare is the quality issue this benchmark project addresses. It is essential to ensure patient safety and raise the overall quality of treatment so that healthcare workers from various departments can communicate effectively with one another. Ineffective communication can result in medical errors, treatment delays, and subpar patient outcomes (Kiani, 2022). This critical problem interferes with the cooperation and coordination required to deliver timely and effective healthcare services. Recognizing the issues and looking into potential fixes can help improve departmental coordination, eventually improving patient safety and the standard of care provided.

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Background Information of the Quality Issue

The delivery of healthcare must include effective communication since it is essential to guarantee patient safety and raise the standard of care as a whole. Several departments and specialties collaborate in healthcare facilities to give patients complete and coordinated care. Interdepartmental communication problems, however, can have substantial negative effects on patients. Ineffective communication between medical staff members can result in compromised patient outcomes, diagnostic and therapeutic delays, and medical errors. Medication errors, wrong test orders, duplicate tests, and pointless processes can all result from poor or nonexistent departmental communication (Mertens et al., 2022). It can also result in losing important information that could affect patient care, inadequate handovers during shift changes, and delays in patient transfers.

Communication problems may be exacerbated by the hierarchical structures within healthcare companies, the complexity of healthcare systems, and the hurried nature of healthcare surroundings. Differences in communication styles, a lack of defined communication procedures, insufficient information exchange, and haziness in roles and duties can all contribute to ineffective communication. According to research, effective interdepartmental communication has been linked to better patient outcomes, lower hospital readmission rates, decreased medical errors, and enhanced patient safety (Buja et al., 2022). It encourages teamwork, collaborative decision-making, and a comprehensive strategy for patient care. As a result, improving inter-departmental communication is essential for raising the standard of care given to patients.

Previous Attempts to Address the Quality Issue

Prior attempts have been made to address the inter-departmental communication quality issue in the healthcare industry. Several methods have been put into place to improve communication and foster collaboration among healthcare workers from various departments. To ensure efficient information sharing during patient transfers or shift changes, standardized communication protocols, such as structured handoff processes and checklists, have been established and put into place. The introduction of interdisciplinary team meetings has also allowed healthcare experts from diverse departments to come together, exchange information, talk about patient issues, and reach conclusions as a group.

Additionally, technological solutions have greatly aided the development of inter-departmental communication. The use of traditional paper-based records has decreased due to the seamless access and sharing of patient information made possible by electronic health records (EHRs). Additionally, secure messaging platforms have been implemented, allowing healthcare workers to communicate instantly and share information quickly. Despite these efforts, problems still exist. Time restraints, hierarchical systems, and opposition to change are some of the factors that continue to obstruct efficient communication techniques.

 References

Buja, A., Damiani, G., Manfredi, M., Zampieri, C., Dentuti, E., Grotto, G., & Sabatelli, G. (2022). Governance for Patient Safety. Journal of Patient Safety, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/pts.0000000000000947

Kiani, C. (2022). Planning Patient Safety: Philosophical, Political, and Economic Changes Required for Preventable Death Abolition. CMC Senior Theses. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3069/

Mertens, M., King, O. C., Putten, M. J. A. M. van, & Boenink, M. (2022). Can we learn from hidden mistakes? Self-fulfilling prophecy and responsible neuro-prognostic innovation. Journal of Medical Ethics, 48(11), 922–928. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2020-106636

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Please read the Quality Benchmark Project Description located in the Module section of this course before starting this assignment. This will provide you with an overview of all three parts.

Part 1: Due in Week 2. Part 1 requires minimum 2-pages. You will need a title page, an introduction paragraph, body, and a reference page. You will not have a conclusion for Part 1. All format must be in 7th edition APA.

For the intro of your paper, address the following objective:

Introduction to the Quality Benchmark Project.

What will the reader expect to learn in the paper?

An intro should not be longer than 1/2 of the first page.

For the body of your paper, address the following objectives and separate using distinct paragraph headers:

Description of the Quality Issue

Background Information of the Quality Issue

Previous Attempts to Address the Quality Issue

Part 2: Due in Week 5. This will continue body content, adding an additional 2 pages of the body for a total of 4+ pages.

Part 3: Due in Week 9. This will continue body content, adding an additional 2 pages of the body for a total of 6+ pages. You will include a conclusion in Part 3.

*Important: Use the Sample Paper as a template to format your assignment to prevent unnecessary point deductions.

See the rubric for grading details.

When you submit this assignment, your paper will automatically run through a plagiarism checker build into Canvas called Unicheck. This will formulate a similarity report and will give you a percentage. If you percentage is greater than 30%, please review the report and see where you are flagged for similarity. You will need to re-do the paper to reduce the percentage to less than 30% before the paper will be accepted for grading. Late penalties may apply.