28/11/2018
JCI and OET publish Communicating Clearly and Effectively to Patients: How to Overcome Common Communication Challenges in Healthcare
Joint Commission International (JCI) and the Occupational English Test (OET) have worked together to publish Communicating Clearly and Effectively to Patients: How to Overcome Common Communication Challenges in Healthcare, a white paper to help healthcare organisations improve communication efforts with their patients. The publication was written by JCI and sponsored by OET.
The white paper provides a high-level overview of common healthcare communication challenges, including:
- inadequate healthcare handover or transition
- poor discharge planning and inadequate or unclear patient instructions
- language complications such as limited English proficiency, literacy, and health literacy of patients
- cultural barriers and misunderstandings
- age-related challenges
- erroneous test results and medical orders.
The educational document also identifies solutions aimed to improve common healthcare communication problems, and offers tools, tips and strategies to overcome them. The white paper summarises how JCI standards address healthcare challenges using evidence-based practices that lead to improved healthcare communication and, consequently, better patient outcomes.
“Studies show that lack of clear communication contributes to medical errors, resulting in fatalities and increase in malpractice costs. Effective communication therefore becomes a significant priority,” said Dr Marale Atechian, JCI consultant and author of the white paper.
“The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International (JCI) have incorporated recommendations relating to communications into National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) and International Patient Safety Goals (IPSGs) respectively to address this priority. All US and internationally accredited healthcare organisations are expected to comply with these goals,” Dr Atechian says.
“OET as an organisation is dedicated to assisting government and regulators in selecting healthcare professionals with the language skills to provide patient safety and quality care. We are delighted to sponsor this publication by JCI which, we believe, will greatly benefit our partners in the healthcare sector,” said Sujata Stead, CEO of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, the owner of OET.
“OET is designed to test candidates’ language proficiency by replicating critical tasks of healthcare workplace settings. However, language proficiency is just one, albeit very important, aspect of effective communication. The solutions and strategies recommended in the JCI and OET-produced white paper complete the picture,” she added.
Dr Atechian discussed Communicating Clearly and Effectively to Patients: How to Overcome Common Communication Challenges in Healthcare last month at the annual OET Forum in Melbourne. On 30 November, JCI Consultant Dr Clive Fernandes will present the white paper at the OET Healthcare Communication Forum in Kochi, India.
Download the white paper at www.occupationalenglishtest.org/healthcare-communication-whitepaper