Communication—speaking, surfing, and smiling

AORN Journal, Oct, 1999 by Patricia C. Seifert

BENEFITS OF COMMUNICATION

There are two key benefits to fostering good (and frequent) communication with animate and inanimate beings. The first is better patient care; the second is a stronger AORN. Communication with our patients is one of the most therapeutic interventions at our disposal. Our failure to communicate necessary information to patients for achieving identified outcomes can mean the difference between success and failure. Part of our responsibility is to familiarize ourselves with computer technology so that we not only can open doors to the vast information available online, but also can direct our patients to the most appropriate and accurate web sites. Patient education is a critical nursing function in this era of shortened lengths of stay because it provides patients with the knowledge to make informed decisions and thereby increase control over their own lives. The importance of good communication is underscored by patient satisfaction surveys illustrating that a cause for criticism is more likely to be our failure to communicate our interest or compassion to patients rather than our lack of technical skill.

Fifty-one years after Holmes' comment, Strother Martin, in the movie "Cool Hand Luke" uttered the immortal words, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."(4) Do we employ "Latinate terms and six-syllable words"(5) when talking to patients or their loved ones? We might not even be aware of what we are doing except for that blank stare on the patient's face. It is normal to use clinical lingo in our communication patterns, but as nurses we are also taught to empathize, or walk in someone else's shoes.

Clinical lingo can even create communication problems between nurses, as demonstrated by research showing that the nurse expert's situational, intuitive judgment is at times incomprehensible to the novice, who must rely on rule-based practice and linear thinking.(6) How do we orient, mentor, educate, and train novices to gain insight, skill, and experience if their clinical guides cannot communicate in ways understood by the novice?

There is also evidence that clinical errors are not infrequently related to ineffective communication patterns between members of the health care team.(7) An institutional culture that does not value constructive criticism or one member's pointing out the clinical errors of a member of another profession can have disastrous consequences.

BENEFIT TO AORN

Second, the benefit of communication to AORN is related to accepting and welcoming not only convergent, but also diverse, viewpoints. Although we may be uncomfortable with differing opinions, there is personal and organizational benefit when we can use these situations to clarify viewpoints, address fears, reach consensus, and/or resolve underlying issues. Part of our responsibility as AORN members is to communicate our ideas, share our knowledge, and participate in deliberations on issues facing our organization. It is important to express your opinions--pro and con--because that is one of the most valuable contributions you can make to AORN. We are all leaders. Good leaders are able to see many sides of an issue, and it is a leader's duty to actively seek alternate opinions and communicate a vision that embraces diversity as well as focused objectives.