For a health care manager, it is important to develop good communication skills with employees, peers, and supervisors. Discuss the following in regard to this:

• Discuss the types of communication and the barriers to communication.
• Does good communication build trust in an organization?
• Does electronic communication help or hinder organizational communication?

*NOTES FROM PROFESSOR*

Communication is an essential skill to have as a healthcare manager. This week’s post asks you to answer 3 main questions in regards to communication.   I will expect a large variety of answers, as communication is such a vast topic that can vary dependent on your setting, location, and department make-up.  It also is very dependent on the personalities that make up the department you are managing as well.

It is important when considering communication across your department that you are aware of both verbal and non-verbal communication.  Words have meaning but the way a person uses their body in conjunction with those words can change that meaning.  In most settings in the United States, eye contact is also an essential part of non-verbal communication, although this can vary dependent on one’ cultural background.   Many people use their hands to get a point across, as well as changes in posture and head position.

Question to consider: How have you seen verbal and non-verbal communication used in your place of employment or even in your own family or friend group?

In the digital age, employees have had to learn to manage and navigate digital communication pathways in addition to face-to-face communication.  Tone, word choice, and topic in digital communication often varies greatly.   Non-verbals or even tone of voice do not translate when using email or text.   Use of certain punctuation can also be misconstrued.  Often use of capital letters or exclamation points in digital communication can be interpreted as shouting or yelling.  With all of this being said, electronic communication has made it easier for information to be obtain in a quick and efficient manner.  In a profession that still relies on fax machines (yup, still a thing!), electronic communication has been slow to be implemented in healthcare, but changes over the past 5 years and advances in technology has made it more common place.   In addition, the COVID-19 crisis has made the use of electronic communication almost an essential in any healthcare setting.  Patient confidentiality is another point that needs to be taken under consideration when using electronic communication.  Many healthcare systems have IT solutions in place to adhere to the HIPAA and patient confidentiality standards, but it is something that needs to be considered whenever electronic communication is used in the healthcare setting.

Question to consider: Have any of you used electronic communication in the healthcare setting as an employee or manager?   As a patient or consumer of healthcare, have you been asked to engage in electronic communication with your healthcare providers?