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Showing results for tags 'Communication'.
Found 1,206 results
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Content ArticleIn this blog, US family doctor Lisa Baron highlights the role that social media has played in exposing how patients, particularly women, are dismissed and gaslighted by healthcare professionals, resulting in delayed diagnosis, deterioration and trauma. She talks about her own experience of having her symptoms and concerns dismissed by her GP, which led to a two-year delay in being diagnosed with coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. She goes on to talk about her experience of Long Covid and how her symptoms were dismissed and not taken seriously in spite of the life-limiting nature of her condition. She raises concerns that Long Covid patients are turning to unqualified practitioners offering untested, ineffective and expensive treatments as they are not being taken seriously by mainstream healthcare systems.
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Julie Smith, Topic Leader for the hub and Content Director at EIDO Healthcare, takes a look at how patient information can be used to help improve outcomes for those on long surgical waiting lists. -
Content ArticleStorytelling gives a voice to patients and staff as well as providing an opportunity for others to understand the importance of patient safety from the perspectives of those that access services or work within them. This toolkit was developed by the National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate in Ireland which works in partnership with health services, patient representatives and other partners to improve patient safety and quality of care. It provides a step by step guide to creating patient and staff stories.
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Content ArticleIn this article for the Byline Times, Consultant David Oliver analyses claims by media and political commentators about spending, waste and inefficiency in healthcare and proposes a ten point plan to restore services to their 2010 level.
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Content ArticleThis download A4 Easy Read booklet from Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust uses simple language and pictures to talk about smear tests. It explains what a smear test is and has tips to make it better for you. It also has a list of words you might hear. Please note this edition of the Easy Read booklet has not been updated with HPV primary screening, but the information and tips about cervical screening are correct.
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Content ArticleMany people see their GP with symptoms that could either get better without treatment, or be a sign of serious illness; their diagnosis is uncertain. Research has explored how GPs and patients can work together to develop follow-up plans (a process known as safety-netting). New recommendations could help GPs manage uncertain diagnoses. To avoid unnecessary referrals, GPs may adopt a ‘watch and wait’ strategy when someone has an uncertain diagnosis. This strategy should come with a clear follow-up plan so that people understand the possible causes of their symptoms, how to look after themselves and what to do if symptoms persist. This is good safety-netting. Without good safety-netting, watch and wait carries risks. For example, late cancer diagnoses have been linked to poor safety-netting. However, professional guidance on safety-netting is lacking. This is a knowledge and practice gap. A study from Friedemann Smith explored the best ways to deliver safety-netting advice. It suggests that people are more likely to follow advice if they are involved in developing the follow-up plan. They need to understand: why they are receiving this advice what actions are required, and by whom. The lack of time within primary care consultations is well known. This may need to be addressed for clinicians to have long enough to develop a safety-netting plan. Professionals may also need training to develop the appropriate communication skills.
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The words used in healthcare to communicate to patients, either in person or in writing, can significantly impact patient safety. From the barriers created by jargon to phrases that dismiss, offend or stem from bias, the case for health information to be clear, accessible and inclusive has been made time and again. In this blog, we've picked out seven resources that have been shared on the hub, to highlight just a few ways language can affect a patient's journey, and ultimately their safety. -
Content ArticleNHS England have developed a review tool to support NHS organisations in reducing inequalities in patient safety.
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Content ArticleSarah Woolf shares the impact her cancer treatment had on her mental health and describes why it is important to see each patient as a whole person, understanding that their body has meaning for them
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Content ArticleHealthcare professionals are encouraged to use feedback from their patients to inform service and quality improvement. This study in the journal Sociology of Health and Illness aimed to understand how three NHS Trusts in England were interacting with patient feedback through online channels. The authors found that organisations demonstrated varying levels of ‘preparedness to perform’ online, from invisibility through to engaging in public conversation with patients within a wider mission for transparency. Engagement varied between the Trusts; one organisation employed restrictive ‘cast lists’ of staff able to respond to patients, while another devolved responding responsibility amongst a wide array of multidisciplinary staff.
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Content ArticleIn this post, Amber Clour, author of the Diabetes Daily Grind blog, talks about her experience of managing her type 1 diabetes while attending the emergency room for suspected appendicitis. She describes the steps she took to make sure her blood sugar levels were managed safely and with her consent, including communicating clearly with all healthcare professionals, ensuring her continuous glucose monitor (CGM) was not removed and bringing her own supply of glucose tablets to manage hypoglycaemia. Further reading Blog - “I felt lucky to get out alive”: why we must improve hospital safety for people with diabetes
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Content ArticleThis blog by Brita Lundberg of Lundberg Health Advocates looks at how healthcare providers can sometimes blame the patient for their condition, errors in treatment and communication issues. She looks at the role that language used in medical settings and historical views of the medical profession have on the tendency to blame patients, and highlights how the issue is also present in wider society. She offers three potential steps to help tackle patient-blaming: Recognise the problem, as it is difficult if not impossible to solve a problem until one recognises that it exists. Families, friends and clinicians should start with the assumption that the patient is correct and question others, particularly any in authority. All of us can be much too quick to dismiss patients’ concerns and to reassure them. It’s a bad habit. Instead–it is prudent never to eliminate any diagnosis, particularly one suggested by the patient, until all the supporting and contradictory evidence for each is carefully considered. Listen–that terribly overused and so little practiced—word. Listening instead of interrupting right away not only helps preserve the flow of the narrative but also gives us time to think about what is being said, and time to formulate a more considered response.
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Content ArticlePsychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. This article by the Center for Creative Leadership explores why psychological safety is so important to foster in workplaces. It suggests eight steps toward creating more psychological safety at work and describes the four stages of psychological safety.
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Content ArticleIn this interview with the publisher Bloomsbury, freelance health journalist and founder of the Hysterical Women blog Sarah Graham talks about her book, Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution. She discusses the recurrent themes she came across in her work as a health journalist which inspired her to set up her blog: women's experiences of gaslighting, dismissal and disbelief by the medical system. Sarah talks about how her book aims to bring together all the stories and ideas she has worked on for the last five or so years and highlight how closely they’re linked. The book also celebrates the resilience, determination, sisterhood and solidarity Sarah has witnessed from patient advocates and campaigners across the sphere of women’s health and trans health. Read Sarah's 2020 blog, Gender bias: A threat to women’s health, on the hub.
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Content ArticleInadequate hand-off communication from hospital to skilled nursing facility (SNF) hinders SNF nurses’ ability to prepare for specific patient needs, including prescriptions for critical medications, such as controlled medications and intravenous (IV) antibiotics, resulting in delayed medication administration. This project, published in Patient Safety, aims to improve hand-off communication from hospital to SNF by utilising a standardised hand-off tool. Authors conclude that the use of standardised hand-off resulted in improved communication during the hospital-to-SNF hand-off and significantly decreased the wait time for the availability of prescriptions for controlled medications and IV antibiotics. Integrating standardised hand-off into the SNF policies can help sustain improved communication, medication management, and patient transition from hospital to SNF.
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Content ArticleThis research by the Nuffield Trust looked at how smaller hospitals have fared over the pandemic. Smaller hospitals are sometimes overlooked when system planning gets done, so this report focuses on the operational responses and management approaches taken by staff from 10 smaller hospitals over the course of the first and second waves of the pandemic. It aims to tell the stories of those working in small hospitals in order to understand what happened to acute and emergency care in these institutions during the pandemic. The authors interviewed staff in smaller hospitals around the country during 2021 to understand their key concerns. The report makes a set of recommendations for future crisis planning and response.
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Content ArticleOn the 5 February 2020 an inquest was opened into the death of Hayley Smith. The jury concluded on 9 March 2022 with a narrative conclusion “The deceased died from complications of anorexia nervosa.” Hayley had developed severe and enduring anorexia nervosa at around the age of nine or ten and was resistant to treatment including several hospital admissions both voluntary, and at times compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act. She was repeatedly admitted to hospital. On the 23 December 2019 Hayley had not eaten, became confused and unwell, and an ambulance was called. The correct emergency treatment was provided but Hayley responded quickly and regained consciousness and refused further treatment or admission to hospital. On 24 December she became unwell again and this time was taken to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital where she again refused treatment and discharged herself against medical advice. The responsible medical officer from the Kent Eating disorder team gave evidence that had the team known of either of these episodes they would have taken steps to admit her and treat her.] On Christmas Day 2019 she collapsed for a final time and this time, had an out of hospital cardiac arrest, and was admitted to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital and transferred to Intensive care where she was diagnosed as suffering from hypoxic brain damage as a result of her cardiac arrest due to severe hypoglycaemia as a consequence of her Anorexia Nervosa. She died on 29 December 2019 at the age of 27.
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Content ArticleIn this blog for Medpage Today, US doctor Diane Solomon talks about the power of apologising to patients. Outlining the tendency of healthcare professionals to defend their practice, she describes how being honest and open with patients about errors demonstrates humanity and compassion. She talks about the importance of being sincere when apologising and outlines how taking responsibility builds trust and can positively change future outcomes.
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This is part of our series of Patient Safety Spotlight interviews, where we talk to people working for patient safety about their role and what motivates them. Ian talks to us about rebuilding patient trust in the healthcare system, how the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) is helping to improve decision making for patients in the private sector, and why recognising the link between physical and mental health is vital to patient safety. -
Content ArticleThis report commissioned by the NHS Confederation and written by the Centre for Mental Health sets out a vision for what mental health, autism and learning disability services in England should look like in ten years’ time. It brings together research and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including people who bring personal and professional experience. The report identifies ten interconnecting themes that underpin the vision and three key requirements that would turn the vision into reality.
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This online comic has been developed by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland to help children aged 7-11 understand what it’s like to have a general anaesthetic, using familiar Beano characters to help reduce any anxiety they may have about surgery. It is a fun and playful way to help children understand more about their operation and how to prepare for it, and includes links to other resources. Readers can accompany Dennis on a fun-filled journey as he prepares to have his tonsils removed, from diagnosis to discharge from hospital. The comic answers children's questions, including: what is a general anaesthetic and is it safe? how will I feel when I wake up? how can I prepare for my operation? what should I do if I am worried or have questions? 'Dennis has an anaesthetic' will also help children and their parents and carers understand what happens in the run-up to an operation, the care children will need afterwards and how they can best prepare. -
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HSIB: Safety investigation jargon buster
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in HSSIB investigations
A guide to the terms commonly used in safety investigations and their definitions. -
Content ArticleRegina Kamoga, Executive Director of the Community Health And Information Network (CHAIN) in Uganda, delivered this presentation to the 6th Annual Pharmacovigilance Stakeholder Meeting on 30 November 2022. The presentation outlines how CHAIN is working to develop and support expert patients and patient groups in underserved communities in Africa, as well as highlighting the key medication safety issues faced by these communities, including low health literacy, poor reporting culture and healthcare worker knowledge gaps. The presentation then looks at how CHAIN implemented the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Patient Safety Challenge in Ugandan communities through patient engagement and healthcare worker education. To conclude the presentation, Regina makes recommendations to improve medication safety: Sustain advocacy for medication safety and become a voice to the voiceless Adopt a culture of safety that incorporates the patient as a care team member not a perceived receiver of care Build and strengthen networks on patient safety Communication and open discussion between healthcare providers and patients to improve patient doctor relationship Increase collaboration with civil society organisations and patient organisations Adopt Start Early In Life initiative to instil a safety culture early in life Establish medication safety multidisciplinary working group Patient, family and community engagement should be at the core of key stakeholders interventions
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Content ArticleCancer Research UK, in partnership with London-based tech company Stitch, are piloting an app for patients to use whilst participating in a clinical trial. The Trialmap app, which was co-created with patients, is being piloted on a clinical trial run by Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development. The aim of the app is to ensure patients feel valued for their participation, and to improve patient experience during clinical trials. This article looks at how the app: allows patients to easily view information about the trial gives reminders about appointments and what patients might need to do to prepare for them gives patients the opportunity to provide real-time feedback regarding their time on the trial.
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Content ArticleIn this article, published by Patient Satisfaction News, author Sarah Heath argues that more needs to be done to address the power imbalance between patients and providers. She discusses the dangers of a paternalistic approach and why patient engagement and shared decision making is key to patient safety.
