Nordness, A. & Beukelman, D. (2017). Patient provider communication across medical settings. Topic in Language Disorders. 37, 334-347.
Summary: Medical errors and poor patient care have been impacted by communication failures despite mandates for effective patient–provider communication. The purpose of this article is to highlight strategies to support consistent, effective patient–provider communication in various medical settings. The article describes policies and procedures to
- define communication roles clearly
- order patient–provider communication supports when a person with needs is admitted to a medical facility,
- develop appropriate communication tools,
- identify patient-specific communication supports,
- train all providers to use communication supports effectively, and
- document effectiveness of patient–provider communication policies and procedures.