The success of patient safety, prognosis and improve health outcomes within the nursing profession is dependent upon proficient communication. When communication is not proficient, patient safety and wellness is compromised (Gore et al., 2015). There are numerous safety issues that can arise from inapt communication within nursing. Two issues that have the potential to impact patient care and safety are hand-off communication errors and cultural competence. Mitigating these safety issues within the nursing profession will be vital to improving and maintaining patient safety and promote positive health outcomes.
Hand-Off Communication
Hand-off communication is a major way healthcare professions communicate and provide patient care. Nurses use hand-off communication when receive or
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The misinterpretation of abbreviations used within the medical community is another form of hand-off communication (Gore et al., 2015). As a result, the patient could receive the wrong treatment due to ineffective communication. To mitigate this issue, nurses are asked to read back and confirm all physician verbal orders and sometimes lab values. The use of “listening and documenting aids in cementing the structure of report” (Gore et al., 2015). When receiving report, nurse will often write down the patient information provided by the former nurse to enforce understanding. If the nurse has a question about the information received, the nurse can always question and reconfirm comprehension in that moment. Avoiding distractions and directing your attention to the healthcare individual whom is communicating the patient information are additional skills used to avoid hand-off communication errors. Strengthen hand-off communication within the interdisciplinary team is vital to improve patient care and safety among diverse