Eight Ways to Improve Patient Communications

Effective communication is essential for delivering quality patient care and building good physician-patient relationships based on compassion and shared respect. Clear, accurate, and timely communication is absolutely essential to maximizing performance, improving patient outcomes, and decreasing risk exposure.

Honing communication skills and reinforcing communication protocols improves patient safety, improves patient satisfaction, and unifies the team. Here are eight ways to improve patient communication.

_{About the Author}

_{Diana Douglas, CPHRM, is vice president of risk management and patient safety at the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP), which offers medical professional liability protection and risk management services to nearly 12,000 of California's finest physicians. In 2013, CAP organized CAPAssurance, a Risk Purchasing Group, to bring liability insurance coverage to member hospitals, healthcare facilities, and large medical groups. Douglas can be contacted at ddouglas@capphysicians.com.}