LEARNING GUIDE:  INTERPROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION

OVERVIEW:  

In this lesson there is a special emphasis on interprofessional communications well as communication tools commonly used by interprofessional healthcare teams.  These tools may be familiar to students and include SBAR, iRoundS, Huddles, and Handoffs.  These tools as well as the competency in communication are the first line of defense against medical errors that commonly occur during transitions to care and/or when poor communication occurs. For some students who have healthcare work experience, this may be a review.  However, for some students this may be their first exposure concerning this communication content.

OBJECTIVES

For this lesson you will:

1. Choose effective communication tools or techniques to facilitate discussions and interactions to enhance team function.
2. Express one’s knowledge and opinions to team members and other healthcare-related colleagues with clarity and respect, working to ensure common understanding of information.
3. Organize and communicate information with clients, families and health care team members in a form that is understandable, avoiding discipline-specific terminology (jargon) when possible.

COMPETENCIES

DEFINITIONS

SBAR – Situation, Background, Assessment, & Recommendation.  SBAR is used to convey patient information in clear and concise manner.  Additionally, it offers a recognized and structured way to ask questions of other healthcare professionals (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2018).

Huddle – a brief team meeting before the start of scheduled work that identifies goals for the work period:  such as patient care goals or quality improvement measures etc.  During the scheduled work period, additional huddles may occur if important team updates are needed (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2018).

iRounds – the practice of frequent “rounds” on patient status and treatment plan with the inteprofessional healthcare care team, patient, and patient’s family; the frequency of rounds is determined by patient needs.

CUS – “I am CONCERNED!”  “I am UNCOMFORTABLE!”  “This is a SAFETY issue!” (Pocket Guide:  TeamSTEPPS 2.0, 2013).

Handoff – “The transfer of information (along with authority and responsibility) during transitions in care across the continuum.  It includes the opportunity to ask questions, clarify, and confirm” (Pocket Guide:  TeamSTEPPS 2.0, 2013).

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

• The following sources with study guides have been curated for student learning.
• For application and demonstration of learning, lab exercises can be found in the second half of this online education resource, Lab Exercises.

REVIEW:  Table 2. Strategies for Effective Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration

REFERENCE: O’Daniel, M., & Rosenstein, A. H. (2008). Professional communication and team collaboration. In Hughes, R. G. (Ed.), Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses (pp. 1-14), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

REVIEW:  Common Barriers to Interprofessional Communication

REFERENCE: O’Daniel, M., & Rosenstein, A. H. (2008). Professional communication and team collaboration. In Hughes, R. G. (Ed.), Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses (pp. 1-14), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

REVIEW:  Pocket Guide:  TeamSTEPPS 2.0

Study Guide:  This is a summary document developed for the Department of Defense Patient Safety Program.  For content specific to communication, REVIEW pp. 8-13 which succinctly summarizes communication tools routinely used by healthcare teams:  SBAR, Call-Out, Check-Back, and Handoff (including the “I PASS THE BATON” strategy); REVIEW p. 30 describes the assertive statement of CUS.

REFERENCE:  Agency for Research and Quality [AHRQ].  (2016). Pocket Guide:  TeamSTEPPS 2.0:  Team Strategies & Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety

REVIEW:  Daily Huddles

Study Guide:   In this very brief module, IHI recommends using quick huddles before the start of a work cycle and/or for quick team ad hoc updates throughout the day with the goal that all team members are staying informed.

REFERENCE:  Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).  (2018).  Daily huddles. Retrieved from http://www.ihi.org/

REFERENCES

Institute for Healthcare Improvement.  (n.d.).  SBAR Tool:  Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation.  Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Tools/SBARToolkit.aspx