Communication is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing managers and leaders today” (Hicks, 2011). In healthcare, this is perhaps even a greater challenge because miscommunication can lead to ineffective management, misunderstandings, and contribute to poor patient outcomes. Communication in healthcare goes beyond managers and employees but includes patients, caregivers, families, and everyone involved in the continuum of care. Utilizing theory or a conceptual framework, explore the communication process, including but not limited to feedback loops, types of communication models, and communication channels. Be sure to include barriers to communication between the sender and receiver, such as, the environmental and personal factors. To narrow the scope of this work, make sure you identify the parties involved in the communication process and utilizing the literature cite specific challenges in these communication feedback loops. Examining the literature for best practices, identify opportunities to facilitate effective communication between multiple parties. These parties that have been studied and validated. Possible deliverables – you do not have to address these, but these are just ideas in case you are stuck. – What issues lead to communication failures? – How can parties overcome barriers to effective communication? – How does communication differ in a healthcare setting (i.e. differing levels of authority, such as, top-down communication, or team based) – What are the different forms and levels of feedback – How is the selected communication framework utilized in effective communication – If discussing communication between providers and patients, how does the lack of health literacy play a role? – What has the literature identified as best practices to overcome ineffective communication
