Can We Talk? Bridging the Communication Gap between Nurses and Providers

Background: Effective communication is the key to successful relationships and improving patient care. Effective and efficient communication is also essential in producing a healthy self-confidence and knowledge base, which is needed by nurses and physicians who are providing daily care to patients. Purpose: The purpose of this performance improvement project is to increase the communication competence and self-awareness of staff nurses during intraprofessional interactions with the healthcare providers. Methods: A quasi-experimental quality improvement process that included a pre and post-survey alongside an educational program to arm nurses with information and communication techniques needed to help build relationships to foster effective and efficient communication. Conclusion: Nurses proved to have a better communication competence and self-confidence during communications after the implementation of an educational program directed at improving communication between nurses and healthcare providers. Implications for Nursing: Effective communication is an integral part of patient care and has proven that it results in better outcomes for the patient, healthcare providers, and health system. Building excellent communication through education, developmental tools, and personal interactions should be a priority for all institutions

Analysis of Suppliers' Satisfaction with the Procurement Process for Goods and Services at RSUD Dr. R. Goeteng Taroenadibrata Purbalingga

This research focuses on the crucial role of procurement of goods and services in the operation of hospitals to support effective and efficient healthcare services. The objective of this study is to analyze suppliers' satisfaction with the procurement process at Dr. R Goeteng Taroenadibrata Purbalingga General Hospital, through the evaluation of communication effectiveness and procurement procedure quality. The research employs a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional method. The population consists of 218 suppliers who collaborated with Dr. R Goeteng Taroenadibrata Purbalingga General Hospital in 2022. A sample of 69 respondents was selected, with a 10% margin of error and 90% confidence level. The results indicate that the communication process and procurement procedure quality significantly influence supplier satisfaction at Dr. R. Goeteng Taroenadibrata Purbalingga General Hospital. Good communication and high-quality procurement procedures positively contribute to supplier satisfaction, underscoring the importance of maintaining strong supplier relationships and improving procurement processes. The implications of this study suggest that hospitals should focus on communication and procurement procedures to enhance the efficiency of procuring goods and services, providing a foundation for further research in improving supplier relationships in the healthcare sector

Using handheld devices for real-time wireless teleconsultation

Recent advances in the hardware of handheld devices, opened up the way for newer applications in the healthcare sector, and more specifically, in the teleconsultation field. Out of these devices, this paper focuses on the services that personal digital assistants and smartphones can provide to improve the speed, quality and ease of delivering a medical opinion from a distance and laying the ground for an all-wireless hospital. In that manner, PDAs were used to wirelessly support the viewing of digital imaging and communication in medicine (DICOM) images and to allow for mobile videoconferencing while within the hospital. Smartphones were also used to carry still images, multiframes and live video outside the hospital. Both of these applications aimed at increasing the mobility of the consultant while improving the healthcare service

TMQ – Techniques, Methodologies and Quality – Special Number – Healthcare Quality

This special issue of TMQ Magazine is dedicated to Healthcare Quality. Healthcare quality is the promotion and provision of effective and safe care, reflected in a culture of excellence, resulting in the attainment of optimal or desired health. The aim of fostering the quality of healthcare is improving the experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing per capita costs of health care. Whereas worsening quality indicators of healthcare might shake public trust in the overall healthcare system, the quality of healthcare is receiving increasing attention from researchers. However, where exactly does healthcare quality begins and where does it ends? The routine of healthcare quality involves with professionals (their medical and soft competencies and education of those), patients (their needs, expectancies, and education), institutions (and their development), and regulatory agencies among the many parties regularly referring to it. Regarding to that the original articles in this issue deal with the following topics: Assessment of the quality of studies by the students of health sciences; Factors of psychosocial work environment and their impact on stress experienced by nurses; Blood donors’ opinion on nurse communication; Perception of causes of disease in patients with acute coronary syndrome on risk factors of cardiovascular disease; Women‘s Awareness about Epidural Anesthesia during Childbirth; and Nurses Role in Educating Self-Care After Hysteroscopy. Evidence suggests that the safety and quality of care in healthcare institutions can be recognizably improved by educating healthcare professionals and patients. Therefore, health research becomes essential, and the scientific evidence it generates can be put into use in everyday practice in order to improve healthcare quality. Thus, we thank all our Authors and Reviewers for their tremendous efforts and all the time they have spent in recent months to produce this issue. Their efforts highlight the importance of interdisciplinarity in researches of healthcare quality and confirm that quality should become an academic and scientific issue with its own educational content and research

Understanding communication of health information: a lesson in health literacy for junior medical and physiotherapy students

Healthcare professional students should be engaged in best practice regarding communication with patients, including using good quality patient information leaflets (PILs) on health behaviours. A cross-sectional survey of 337 junior medical and physiotherapy students investigated the readability, health psychology theory content, and quality and reliability ratings of nine international PILs on smoking. Estimates of readability, theory content and quality/reliability ratings varied considerably across PILs. Importantly, additional theory-based content, as proposed by students, had no detrimental effect on readability scores. Results are discussed with regard to their potential for improving interactions between future healthcare providers and service users

Enhancing Nurse- Patient Communication Through Commit to Sit

The patient experience is considered by healthcare policy experts as one of the essential components of healthcare quality. The project site implemented a program called “Commit to Sit” to help promote direct bedside communication with patients. This quality improvement project examined the impact of the Commit to Sit program on patient experience in an acute care setting. The purpose of this evaluation focused on determining whether communication between the frontline nurses and patients improved through the implementation of “Commit to Sit” campaign on a pilot unit in a community hospital. The Duffy’s Quality Caring Model was utilized because it encourages improving the communication between the provider and the patient. The project engaged patients in a span of three months in three batches with a mean sample size of 46. This study utilized the questionnaire from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, and analysis showed a three percent increase of the nursing unit patient satisfaction survey, nurse communication section since the implementation of “Commit to Sit.” This study demonstrated the impact of direct caregiver’s successful communication is essential in achieving the main goal of the health care team which is eliminating pain and suffering in a short time, hence promoting early recovery of patients. These findings support positive social change by in identifying effective methods for frontline nurses for enhancing patient communication, patient safety and patient satisfaction

Building Digital Bridges: Exploring the Digitized Collaboration of General Practitioners and Mobile Care in Rural Areas

In the process of digitalization of healthcare, professionals, such as mobile care nurses or general practitioners, are facing both new challenges and opportunities. Digital technologies thereby promise to affect the cooperation of healthcare professionals on various levels, e.g., increasing quality of care, improving interprofessional communication, or optimizing economic aspects of care. Our study examines current issues of healthcare professionals concerning a digital change of care. We conducted qualitative interviews with primary care practitioners and providers of mobile care (nurses and care managers) to understand perceived obstacles in the process of digitalization and to formulate possible implications to encounter those obstacles. Our results suggest that insufficient communication and a lack of mutual trust have to be considered relevant issues. We therefore propose to focus future research on the interchangeability of different communication and documentation systems

SIMULATED MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS TO ANALYZE PATIENT-PHYSICIAN COMMUNICATION DURING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS\u27 USE IN PRIMARY CARE

The implications of the patient-physician relationship and communication on healthcare quality have been widely discussed in previous research. Communication has been characterized as one of the most powerful, encompassing, and versatile instruments available to the physician and it has been suggested that good patient-physician communication can improve healthcare outcomes. The incorporation of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in primary care provides an opportunity for improving healthcare services and quality of care. EMRs have, without a doubt, transformed the dynamics of the medical encounter. Implications of EMRs on the patient-physician communication, and thus on healthcare quality, have not yet reached a full understanding. Existing physician communication skills assessment tools do not take into account the physician\u27s need to divert his/her attention from the patient to the computer, and vise versa. One such tool is the SEGUE. This research-in-progress paper aims to describe the preliminary steps taken to assess the adequacy of the existing SEGUE tool in evaluating physicians\u27 communication skills in a computerized environment based on simulated medical encounters. Assuming that the existing SEGUE tool does not capture the new dynamics of the medical encounter; we suggest that it should be enhanced to include best-practices for physicians\u27 EMR use while maintaining effective communication with patients. We intend to develop a set of items which reflect recommendations for EMR use aimed at maintaining effective communication with the patient. These new items will be formulated based on an extant literature review and experts panel, and will eventually be incorporated into the existing SEGUE tool to provide a comprehensive tool for analyzing physicians\u27 communication skills in the computerized clinic

Effect of Technology on Service Quality Perception and Patient Satisfaction- A study on Hospitals in Bangladesh

This study investigates the intricate dynamics of technology's influence on service quality perception and patient satisfaction in Bangladesh's healthcare sector, a vital component of emerging economies. Focusing on the interplay between technology, service quality, and patient satisfaction, the research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing a structured questionnaire survey conducted both online and in-person among patients in private hospitals in Dhaka city. Statistical analyses, including correlation and regression, were applied to the gathered data. Key findings reveal significant correlations between service quality dimensions (responsiveness, assurance, communication, and discipline) and patient satisfaction. Notably, technology-related factors, specifically the use of tips, negatively impact satisfaction levels. Regression analysis identifies responsiveness, assurance, communication, and tips as significant predictors of patient satisfaction. Limitations, including the exclusive focus on Dhaka city's private hospitals, underscore the necessity for broader research across diverse healthcare settings to enhance generalizability. Practical implications recommend healthcare providers prioritize improving responsiveness, assurance, and communication, considering patient preferences on technology-related practices like tipping. From a societal perspective, the study emphasizes the broader importance of optimizing technology to elevate patient experiences, contributing to overall well-being. The research's originality lies in its nuanced examination of technology's influence on service quality and patient satisfaction within the distinctive context of Bangladeshi private hospitals. Acknowledging its limitations, this study encourages future research to explore technology's impact on service quality across various healthcare settings, providing valuable insights for ongoing improvements