Effective Communication in Health Care Essay Example

Effective Communication in Health Care Essay Example Effective Communication in Health Care Essay Effective Communication in Health Care Essay There are many different ways that that a Medical Organization could be ran effectively and successful. As a dental technician in the USAF the type of organizational model used is based upon the Matrix model because there is usually two or more forms of supervision that one has to adhere to be successful in administering and completing patient care (Lombardi, Schermerhorn, Kramer, 2007). To be successful at any type of organization employees must be informed from the leadership and be able to come to their leadership with problems or concerns the way this is done within the dental clinic is through group meetings and utilization of chain of command (Personnel, 2011). The techniques that have been most effective for sharing ideas and information throughout the clinic include weekly meeting and suggestion box, those that are ineffective for sharing ideas and information have been emails and meetings held to close to lunch or the end of the duty day. In a health care work environment some of the techniques have to be modified, because of HIPAA (Hartley, Jones, Sullivan , David, 2010). Technology effects the process of sharing ideas and information because without technology emails, power point presentations at meetings, and so on would not be accessible to benefit expedited communication. Within a matric model organization like the dental clinic in the USAF there are many forms of techniques for communication that are effective and sometimes ineffective at sharing ideas and information amongst employees to benefit successful patient care. Organization Model within the Dental Clinic The matrix model is the organizational model that is used in the dental clinic within the United States air force. This model consists of teams that work together with often overlapping duties in order to accomplish a united goal in patient care (Lombardi, Schermerhorn, Kramer, 2007). This model is really effective because in the military everyone has to be trained in every area of their duty title in order to be able to accomplish patient care whether someone is deployed, moving, or temporarily working at another facility (TDY). As dental technicians within the military answering to more than one superior is detrimental to mission effectiveness, there is a person of direct leadership within the part of the clinic that you are working and a person of leadership that supervises and rates on the dental technician exclusively. Sharing Knowledge and Solving Problems within the Dental Clinic The dental clinic in the USAF has specific procedures for sharing knowledge and solving problems within the dental clinic. The chain of command and group meetings are indispensable practices that help with communication amongst employees. The chain of command takes issue or information brought down by the commander (highest ranking authority, dentist) and shares them with those beneath him so that they can disperse the information to the rest of the group (Personnel, 2011). This gives the commander a chance to handle greater issues while the information is simultaneously handed down the ranks. The leadership beneath the commander often calls group meetings to address problems and disperse information the commander has to share with the group. Techniques that are the Most and Least Effective within the Dental Clinic In sharing ideas and problems with the leadership to the rest of the group some techniques are really effective and others are not. Weekly meetings and the suggestion box are two techniques that are very helpful to share information and solve problems. These weekly meetings are snippets of the monthly meetings and often involve groups within a specific working area working on a particular project. The suggestion box allows anyone to put any suggestion or issue written down and placed in a box and the management team reviews these weekly and discusses resolutions at the monthly meetings. This helps those who do not like to speak in open forums such as the monthly/weekly meetings to still have their concerns heard. Ineffective ways of sharing information are emails and meetings held close to the end of the day/lunch. Emails are sometimes not that effective because many people do not have a chance to read them more than once a day because of the high patient care volume so some emails may have delayed answers or information. Meeting held close to lunch/end of day have slim attendance because people might still be held up in patient care. Techniques Applied/Modified in a Health Care Environment In the dental clinic many techniques that share knowledge or solve problems must be modified or applied in a different way because of HIPAA. HIPAA is a privacy act enacted within the 1990’s that ensures patient care is confidential. Emails sent that discuss patient care must not include any direct private information unless completely necessary, and if so, must have a privacy act disclaimer attached (Hartley, Jones, Sullivan , David, 2010). The suggestion box must also not have patient information present because it is not locked up, therefore information could be put in the wrong hands. Technology’s Effect on Techniques for Sharing info within Health Care Technology is definitely an essential part of almost every technique involved with sharing information within the dental clinic or any health care field. Without technology tools such as power point presentations used at meetings and emails used to forward important information to personnel communication would be affected. Technology is ever growing in health care today and the use of electronic records and electronic appointment systems are often the backbone of any health care organization. Conclusion For the matrix model organizational structure of the dental clinic in the USAF there are many techniques that help in sharing information and solving problems some greatly effective and others, not so much (Lombardi, Schermerhorn, Kramer, 2007). The dental clinic shares knowledge and informs employees through monthly meetings and the chain of command (Personnel, 2011). Weekly meetings and the suggestion box are very effective at sharing information while emails and meetings to close to lunch/end of the duty day are not. These techniques are modified or applied differently in a health care environment because of HIPAA (Hartley, Jones, Sullivan , David, 2010). Technology has also affected these techniques because the use of technology via power point presentations, emails, and so on is the back bone of sharing ideas/information in health care today. Organization structure is very important and how information and solving problems within a health care organization effectively can greatly improve the overall goal of successful patient care!