Improved verbal communication between patients, their caregivers and the inter-professional team through a process of communication clinics: a feasibility study

Lewis, Lucy Anne, Malik, Naveed, Adams, James and Patel, Harnish (2016) Improved verbal communication between patients, their caregivers and the inter-professional team through a process of communication clinics: a feasibility study. Age and Ageing, 45 (1), 18. (doi:10.1093/ageing/afw024.32).

Abstract

Background Older people, with or without dementia, admitted to hospital risk further deterioration in their health. To promote multidisciplinary patient care and management, shared decision making between the multi-professional team, caregivers and patients is important. Previous research identified best practice themes of (1) Partnership working between the inter-professional team, patients and caregivers (2) Frequent communication and (3) Structured caregiver/family meetings to facilitate good care. To improve communication and implement best practice themes, communication clinics were set up within our department. We also introduced business cards as a way of contacting the responsible consultant or team.

Intervention After consulting relevant stakeholders, action learning sets and focus groups an education programme for ward staff and secretaries took place to plan structured meetings on a set day of the week. Dedicated meetings on 10 patients and/or their caregivers soon after hospital admission took place between 2013 and 2014. These ‘communication clinics’ comprised the responsible clinician, clinical case manage, ward staff, a member of the therapy team if appropriate, the patient and/or caregivers.

Improvement Discussions within the communication clinics covering both clinical and non-clinical updates as well as discharge planning were associated with better staff and caregiver morale and satisfaction. The relationships built within these clinics were associated with greater clarity of the roles of the multi-professional team, less caregiver anxiety, empowerment in decision-making processes, positive feedback and greater satisfaction from both patients and their caregivers.

Discussion Dedicated ‘clinics’ improved verbal communication between the multi-professional teams and patients/caregivers. Business cards were associated with positive feedback. This work highlights the need to work as a partnership to plan treatment pathways and make important management decisions. Informed consent from the patient should always be obtained. Although feasible, the challenges for wider implementation of these clinics include allocating mutually convenient, dedicated times in a suitable venue.

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Contributors

Author: Lucy Anne Lewis

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