Communication barriers between healthcare managers and staff members
Strong communication is a cornerstone of good relationships between healthcare managers and their staff members. From providing valuable information about health crises to issuing directives regarding new policies for care, this communication can be critical to providing the highest-quality care for patients.
Too often, however, many of the barriers that can affect patient-healthcare provider communication — such as implicit biases and language barriers — can also obstruct effective healthcare manager and staff communication. Additionally, issues such as confusing messaging and restricted access to information can be barriers to communication.
Unclear information
One barrier to communication between managers and staff members is a lack of clear, consistent messaging. Managers who don’t focus on delivering one message to all staff risk confusion, frustration, and a lack of trust.
Implicit bias
Unconscious biases, whether based on a person’s level in the staff hierarchy or on traits such as race and gender, can affect staff decision-making and communication. A 2020 case study from Patient Safety Network noted that biases related to unspoken hierarchy of command structures as well as age and gender affected how groups of nurses and physicians reached conclusions about care and how they communicated with each other.
Imposter syndrome
Less experienced healthcare professionals may suffer from imposter syndrome (internal feelings of incompetence), doubting their expertise in making decisions about care — and they might be unwilling to defend their own ideas about treatment to providers with more experience and higher rank. In turn, higher ranking medical professionals may assume less seasoned staff to be incorrect in their assessments. This scenario can influence how these professionals communicate about patient care.
Limited reach
When healthcare leaders restrict their communications to only some staff members, they can alienate other employees. Staff members may respond by being less willing to freely share information themselves.
Communication barriers between healthcare peers
Effective care coordination and provider handoffs are important steps in delivering top-notch care, and any breakdown in communication can jeopardize them. The importance of this communication is why The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies healthcare organizations and providers, regularly includes improved staff communication on its annual list of national patient safety goals.
However, some factors are working against healthcare providers and their peers as they communicate with each other. Following are some of the barriers to communication between healthcare peers.
Patient load
When healthcare providers have a heavy patient load, their many responsibilities can mean frequent interruptions and fewer opportunities for quality communication. A study published in NursingOpen in 2020 found poor staff communication to be one of the negative effects of heavy patient loads among nurses.
Confusing handoffs
Patient care typically involves teams of healthcare professionals. Patient care handoffs — from physician to physician or from physician to nurse, for example — include verbal and written communication about the patient’s vital information. But the many handoffs that can occur in a patient’s treatment create a greater risk for breakdowns in communication regarding the details about a patient’s status that are critical to planning and delivering care.
Unprofessional behavior
Disruptive behavior among healthcare professionals, often rooted in a lack of respect, can impede the delivery of quality healthcare. Bullying and other unprofessional actions can affect staff morale and also become apparent in interactions with patients, affecting their satisfaction with the care they receive.
