by Chris Hilburn-Trenkle
If you would like to read more about Zerden’s recently published paper, the obstacles facing effective communication in the health care system and the improvements she’s seen over time, click here.
Associate Professor Lisa de Saxe Zerden recently co-authored a publication that examines the effectiveness of communication practices for health care professionals across the state of North Carolina.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work faculty member teamed up with Associate Provost for Interprofessional Health Initiatives Meg Zomorodi, a professor at UNC School of Nursing, to co-author the paper for the May 2024 special edition of North Carolina Medical Journal, which was founded in 1849 by the North Carolina Medical Society and reaches a wide range of health care professionals, policy makers, educators and others.
The publication, “Fostering Psychological Safety: Building Team-Based Care Communication Skills,” examines the importance of communication across all aspects of team-based care in the health care system and provides recommendations for future improvement.
While the significance of communication in health care is self-evident, the data cited by Zerden and Zomorodi highlights just how devastating or effective communication can be for both health care professionals and patients.
“We take for granted communication,” Zerden said. “It just happens. It’s something that we don’t really think about, but it is really an essential tool for collaborative care, so I want folks to take away that you have to be purposeful; you have to be intentional with your words. It makes a really big difference to patients and families. Also, how teams connect and how they feel cohesive and safe together. We take it for granted, but it’s a really essential ingredient.”
As noted in the publication, a groundbreaking report from the Institute of Medicine in 1999 shined a light on the devastating consequences of errors in the health care system. In the years that have followed, the authors shared that ineffective communication has been associated with 70% of the errors in the health care system, while successful communication has led to not just better quality of care, but also higher contentment for patients and their family members.
The authors also highlighted the benefits of the TeamSTEPPS Framework, which places a prominence on skills used for achieving reliable and safe care for patients through communication, situation monitoring, mutual support and leadership.
With the evolution of integrated care models to include the various behavioral health, physical health and telehealth needs, communication has become ever more challenging and essential for providers. The problem was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic causing employees to have hybrid or remote work schedules. It’s a problem that’s felt whether providers are communicating with a team member, a pharmacist, a social worker or a patient and their family.
“That really has been a radical shift,” Zerden said. “So [we are] thinking about how we provide integrated care that we’ve worked so hard to get going and get off the ground in these new models where we’re not physically in the same space. We have some examples of folks doing this through intentional team meetings or in a Zoom huddle before a clinic begins, or having dedicated office hours or check-in. It’s created challenges to the traditional way of doing integrated care, which was starting to take off, but now we have to figure out a way to re-calibrate with hybrid flexible work environments.”
Zerden pointed out that having consistency in scheduling, clarity of expectations, and knowing how to engage both patients and other teammates and colleagues in a virtual setting are beneficial to navigating the various obstacles faced by the health care system.
Although there will always be challenges that could limit effective communication, Zerden feels hopeful regarding the improvements she’s seen in her own day-to-day experience as a social worker communicating with other professional disciplines, such as her invitation to deliver a lecture in the UNC Adams School of Dentistry in early June.
“I don’t think even a few years ago they would have invited a social worker to come and speak to the dental professors, but there’s just so much more recognition that health and health outcomes are really happening outside the clinic and they’re happening outside that patient’s interaction,” Zerden said. “They’re happening in the community; they’re happening in people’s real lives outside the clinic. And so, I think it’s such a great opportunity for all these professionals from all different types of backgrounds to work together.”
