Modes of Communication

Original Editor - Robin Tacchetti based on the course by Jason Giesbrecht
Top Contributors - Robin Tacchetti, Jess Bell, Naomi O'Reilly and Tarina van der Stockt

Introduction

Communication is defined as the method of sending and receiving messages to share skills, knowledge and attitudes.

Communication in the healthcare environment entails transmitting and receiving of information between clinician and their patients . Good communication is a fundamental clinical skill that establishes the therapeutic relationship between the clinician and their patients. Studies show that clinicians who explain, listen and empathise with their patients produce a profound effect on their patients health status and functioning as well as overall satisfaction in the medical care.

Historically, medical settings incorporated direct face-to-face communication to relay information. In this format, patients could not only hear the information, but were able to see facial expressions and body language to help better understand the meaning behind the words. Direct interactions are decreasing as indirect interactions like video conferencing increase. Technological advances have also aided an increase in written communication (emails, texts, etc) between providers and patients. Besides patient preference written communication has many other advantages in medical care including it is educational, easily distributed, traceable and can hold medical-legal value.

Communication Modes

Clinical communication interactions that are respectful enhance patient engagement in decision making, increase patient adherence to treatment and patient satisfaction and reduce anxiety and uncertainty. Medical communication between patient and provider should entail a two-way dialogue of mutual respect. Effective communication between both parties would incorporate the following components:

1. exchange of information
2. ability to speak and listen without interruption
3. ability to express their opinions
4. ability to ask questions for clarity

Medical communication is delivered through three modes, verbal, non-verbal and visual. Verbal communication is delivered through spoken words or written language. Nonverbal communication displays emotional information through the body or face. Visual communication delivers messages through visual cues suck as illustrations and diagrams.. Both verbal and non-verbal communication can be influenced by a number of factors including the volume and pace of the interaction, the spatial proximity, the style of communication (friendly vs. authoritative) and the extent or limit of physical contact.

1. Verbal

Verbal communication encompasses both written and oral forms. Written communication is generally used to relay information in a permanent manner. With advances in technology written communication has increased over recent years. Examples of written communication include emails, text messaging, electronic medical records, reports etc. Oral communication, also known as spoken communication includes telephone calls, face-t0-face interactions, video conferencing, etc.

2. Non-Verbal

Non-verbal communication is a way of conveying emotion and information without using words. It provides the listener with additional information or even contradicts the spoken message.

It comprises a wide range of physical signs such as:

• facial expressions/gestures
• body language/posture
• eye contact
• shrugging
• pointing

Equally important is to note the listener has their own non-verbal cues and should consider how they might be interpreted or perceived by others. In addition, within non-verbal communication lies paraverbal attributes which include the inflection of voice, tone, rhythm, intonation, and verbal flow. These paraverbal factors relay communication as well.

** Note that individual and cultural differences can impact non-verbal communication due to different norms

3. Visual Cues

Visual communication is a way to deliver messages and ideas through visual cues such as charts, photographs, videos and illustrations. When it is difficult to relay messages through words, visual communication can be a highly productive tool. Often times a single diagram, illustration or photograph can relay information complex information in a more succinct manner than words. Additionally, if there is a language barrier between provider and patient, visual cues can cross the lines to be easily as universal language. Visual cues allow patients to understand easier and retain information greater than written or spoken words.

Active Listening

Effective oral and non-verbal communication requires active listening.. Active listening is a critical component of good communication which involves giving the speaker your full attention without distractions or interruptions. Active listening is more than simply listening to the speaker. The components below detail what is involved in active listening:

1. Reflect: confirm your understanding by paraphrasing or repeating what they have said
2. Clarify: ask questions to better understand what they said
3. Summarise: provide a brief summary of what they said
4. Empathise. attempt to understand their feelings and perspective
5. Non-verbal cues: pay attention to body language, tone of voice and facial expressions
6. Avoid interruptions/distractions: allow them to finish without interruption/distractions

Barriers

Despite understanding good communication practices, there are always barriers to good communication within the healthcare environment. Barriers can limit or prevent the patient from expressing their healthcare needs and/or limit the provider from giving critical information in a clear, concise manner.One of the most common barrier for providers is an institutional barrier of staffing shortages and high workloads ultimately leading to burnout. Providers suffering from burnout will have difficulty with active listening. High caseloads creates limited time to interact with each patient as the providers have too many patients to attend to in a day. As their interaction time is decreased, patients might not have the opportunity to provide all the details the provider needs to care for them appropriately. In addition, the patient may not have the opportunity to ask questions which could alter their adherence to treatment or medication. Decreased time with patients is not the only barrier leading to misunderstood treatment and medication instructions. A poor communicator or language barrier could alter how a patient understands what their interventions are and how to perform them correctly. Hiring translators and interpreters would assist with interactions when language barriers exist. Language barriers may accompany cultural or value norm differences. In this scenario, providers may not understand factors such as personal proximity, touch, or body language. Lastly, there are environmental challenges which may hinder communication between provider and patient. In a medical setting, the distance between the provider and the patient's bedside may be too far weakening the connection and not allowing the patient to engage fully. In addition, the rooms may be noisy, messy and/or dark increasing distractions during interactions. Lastly, the lack of privacy can keep a patient from communicating important details the provider might need. The environment for verbal communication should be in a caring surrounding. This allows the patient to feel physiologically and psychologically safe.

Resources

• Using empathy in communication
• Communication Skills

References

• Hall, M. L., & Dills, S. (2020). The limits of “Communication mode” as a construct. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 25(4), 383-397. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enaa009