Communication

White Paper

Challenges in Healthcare Communications
How Technology Can Increase Efficiency, Safety, and Satisfaction

Author Daniel Z. Sands, M.D.

July 2008

Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG)

Cisco IBSG © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

White Paper

Challenges in Healthcare Communications
How Technology Can Increase Efficiency, Safety, and Satisfaction Introduction
Healthcare delivery is a high-‐touch undertaking that requires interaction among all stakeholders within the healthcare ecosystem. Interpersonal communication is a key part of this interaction and can be transformed by the intelligent use of technology. When we discuss connections in healthcare, we frequently think of data connections— connecting physicians and other clinicians to patient data; connecting diagnostic testing facilities to physicians’ offices, and physicians’ offices to hospitals; connecting provider facility to payer (health plan or government authority); or connecting provider facility to public health departments. The critical role that communications play among people in healthcare is often neglected in this conversation. Human beings require communica-‐ tion both for information exchange and for affective content that may accompany the information, such as nonverbal signals like facial expressions or body language. Technology can be applied in various ways to facilitate communication in the highly collaborative and mobile environment that is healthcare. This paper discusses the current barriers to communicating effectively in healthcare and how the limitations of technologies used for communication contribute both to inefficiency and adverse events. It also lays a foundation for innovative solutions and how they can benefit patients and healthcare providers.

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