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Improving clinical communication: a view from psychology.
1Hewlett-Packard Research Laboratories, Bristol, England (JSP). jsp@hplb.hpl.hp.com
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA
|September 14, 2000
Summary
Clinical hospital workers often use inefficient synchronous communication, like phone calls, leading to workplace interruptions and potential errors. This study reviews cognitive psychology findings on memory and interruptions, suggesting technology interventions for better communication.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Healthcare Communication Systems
Background:
- Clinical hospital workers exhibit inefficient communication behaviors.
- Preference for synchronous communication (phone calls, face-to-face) is prevalent, despite ineffectiveness.
- Synchronous communication creates an interruptive environment, increasing clinical error risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review inefficient communication behaviors in clinical settings.
- To analyze these behaviors from a cognitive psychological perspective.
- To discuss potential technology interventions for improving clinical communication.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing research on clinical communication patterns.
- Analysis through the lens of cognitive psychology, focusing on human memory.
- Examination of the impact of interruptions on work effectiveness.
Main Results:
- Observed tendency for inefficient communication behaviors among clinical staff.
- Synchronous communication methods are frequently favored, even when suboptimal.
- Interruptions stemming from communication negatively impact work performance and safety.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive psychology principles explain the challenges of memory and attention in interruptive environments.
- Technological interventions could mitigate inefficiencies and reduce errors.
- Further research is needed to develop and implement effective communication solutions.