12.6 Chapter Conclusion
Katie Baker
Summary
In conclusion, effective medical communication is essential for sharing accurate information among healthcare providers, patients and their families, and insurance companies. Whether using electronic medical records or paper charting, healthcare personnel adhere to standardized layouts and use approved medical shorthand and abbreviations to ensure clarity.
Maintaining a professional tone and using appropriate language is key in all workplace communications, including in healthcare. Being mindful of the medium, recipient, and context enhances communication effectiveness. Additionally, providing translated materials and interpreters for patients and their families is a legal requirement, ensuring communication is complete and accessible.
Review Questions
- Describe three ways you could communicate with a disabled patient.
- List and describe the seven components of communication. How would you use each communicate effectively with a patient or colleague?
- Why is professional communication important in healthcare? Give three reasons.
- What do S, O, A, and P stand for in SOAP notes?
- Describe situations where you might use different styles of medical charting and explain why.
- For each of the following regions of the body (head, torso, arms, and legs), create a sentence to describe a medical complaint using medical terminology instead of lay language.
- Name one benefit of electronic charting and one benefit of paper charting.
- Name one problem with electronic charting and one problem with paper charting.
- Why is it important to use professional interpreters rather than family members or staff?
- Explain why using text messaging to communicate with patients can be unsafe.
