Blog

Improving communication in healthcare teams

By Oscar Mathew, Director MMF

Effective communication is a critical component of successful healthcare delivery. Healthcare teams that communicate effectively are better able to provide quality care, resolve conflicts, and create a more positive experience for colleagues and patients alike.

However, improving communication within a healthcare team is not always easy, especially when an unhelpful culture of behaviour or ways of working have developed.

Healthcare teams that foster a culture of open communication are more likely to address issues before they become major problems, and they are also more likely to have a positive working environment.

Read on for three strategies that you can try out to improve communication within your team

Strategy 1: Foster a ‘Culture of Open Communication’

The first step in improving communication within a healthcare team is to create a culture of openness, transparency and inclusion. The key to this is to try to develop an ‘environment of psychological safety’, which has been defined by Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson as “an interpersonal climate where people feel able to express ideas, ask questions, quickly acknowledge mistakes, and raise concerns”.

Psychological safety has also been described as a canary in the coalmine for a team: you know if you’ve got it, and you know if you don’t. And if you don’t, you have a problem.

The remedy to a lack of psychological safety is to increase levels of trust within the group, to encourage openness and candour. You need team members to openly express their thoughts, opinions, and concerns, especially if they are not in line with the prevailing opinions of a group.

There are three key steps to this:

1. Signal that all voices are important, not just senior and dominant ones
2. Actively encourage and embrace junior and less heard opinions
3. If you are in a senior position, tell the team clearly that a sense of togetherness as a team is important, and that you want to listen – and then listen.

Strategy 2: Undertake a ‘communication recalibration’

Healthcare teams that foster a culture of open communication are more likely to address issues before they become major problems, and they are also more likely to have a positive working environment.

Try the following steps:

1. State that you’d like to co-design an approach with them, and that you’re conscious that what works for some wont work for all
2. Ask the following questions:
• What kind of communication works for you as a group?
• What do we not get enough of?
• What do we get too much of?
• What one change would make the most difference?
• What impact would it have?

Strategy 3: Establish clear roles and responsibilities

Another key factor in improving communication within a healthcare team is to clearly define each team member's role and responsibilities. When everyone knows what is expected of them, it is easier to communicate and work together effectively. In addition, clear roles and responsibilities can help reduce confusion, duplication of effort, and the potential for miscommunication.