Communication is a crucial part of being an effective nurse. As nurses we are constantly changing from one form of communication to another, whether it be verbal, non-verbal or written. As a group oriented profession, nurses must acquire good interpersonal communication for effective continuity and productivity (Marquis & Huston, 2015).
The SBAR is a verbal communication tool that I used in the NICU during shift change to convey a precise and clear report to the oncoming nurse. The SBAR is broken down into Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendations for the patient. A small amount of pertinent information is covered in each heading and is updated throughout the shift in the hope that all the important information is included. The SBAR is an effective tool that has great potential to reduce communication errors (Marquis & Huston, 2015). In the unit I currently work, we use a modified SBAR that includes additional information about each patient including the patient’s lines, labs, past information. It is a tool that is easy to use, however, if a patient has been in the unit for an extended time then it is difficult to keep track of their history.
Another form of communication that was extremely important in my last job was voicera, a hands-free communication device (HFC). When our NICU transitioned from a large room to a single bed unit, there was a need for the nurses to have constant communication with the patients when they were not in the room. Voicera served as a way for the nurse to have a
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L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Richardson, J. E., & Ash, J. S. (2010, Jan-Feb). The effects of hands-free communication device systems: communication changes in hospital organizations. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 17(1), 91-98.