Practicum Experience Journal - Essay Example

According to Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association poor communication has been identified as one of the primary factors of both medical malpractice claims and major patient safety violations, including errors resulting in patient death. AzHHA (2011) further cited that some studies indicate that 70 to 80 percent of medical errors are related to interpersonal interaction issues. Based on personal observation, it was the weak Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) communication pattern on a shift-to-shift basis that made the practicum in the nursing home ineffective.

AzHHA (2011) stated that SBAR creates a shared mental model for effective information transfer by providing a standardized structure for concise, factual communications among health care providers. It is indeed essential in a nursing home setting as the condition and needs of each patient must be properly addressed by any personnel at the time of his/her duty. Hence, there is a need to strengthen the communication pattern in the nursing home and in any clinical and medical field where the lives of the patients depend on the reliability and credibility of the evaluation of the situation.

During the period of my practicum, I observed that there was a discrepancy in the transfer of clinical information and patient’s data from one shift to another which is something that must be strictly observed by all health practitioners. A systematic approach in passing a patient’s record is a must as it will be the basis of the next health provider’s action. Specifically, the method being used in this turnover of patient’s clinical information/record was not that efficient or somewhat too lenient in my practicum.

It is vital for a health care provider to supply all the information to whoever will take his/her duty in an inter shift mode. In my opinion, employing The SBAR method is a great solution for the communication problem in the nursing home. It is a more orderly and systematic approach of transferring information. If utilized, interpersonal interaction among the health care providers would be more dynamic and communication errors would be avoided. As a consequence, these medical professionals will be more focused on the well-being of the patients.

Works Cited:Permanente, K.2011.SBAR Technique for Communication: A Situational Briefing Model. Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 30 June 2011. Web. 02 Feb. 2013.SBAR Communication. Communication is Critical to Healthcare. Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association. Web. 02 Feb. 2013