Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 16, 2025

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care

Published on: February 16, 2011

Can We All Speak the Same 'Language' for Our Patients' Sake? Feedback on Interprofessional Communication and Related

Janet Nguyen¹, Jennifer Hunter², Lorraine Smith¹

¹Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.

Global Advances in Health and Medicine

|February 25, 2021

Abstract

Background:

The Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA) established a working group to develop the AIMA Guiding Principles for Letter Writing and Letter Writing Templates. The guiding principles were developed to promote effective communication between the diverse range of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) that patients choose to consult. Following the development of the Interprofessional Communication (IPC) resources, AIMA undertook a public consultation as part of a quality assurance process to evaluate the relevance and utility of the resource.

Aim:

This study reports stakeholder feedback on AIMA's draft guiding principles document. It explores stakeholder attitudes towards IPC and HCPs letter-writing, and interest in ongoing continuing professional development (CPD).

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey involving 1) an online public consultation survey and 2) a paper survey collected following IPC CPD activities. Quantitative data were analysed using Chi square and Fisher-Freeman-Halton Test. Responses to open ended questions were coded and subject to a thematic analysis.

Results:

The 64 survey participants and 55 CPD participants represented the Australian healthcare sectors and lay community. Most thought IPC is important (n = 112/117; 96%) and the resources were informative (n = 112/119; 94%), understandable (n = 111/119; 93%), and clinically relevant (n = 105/117; 90%). HCP reported wide variations in their frequency of correspondence with other practitioner types, with rates often concerningly low. Key IPC themes identified were the importance of continuity of care, clarity of communication, and professional practice. CPD participants were most interested in further IPC training (p = 0.001).

Conclusions:

The IPC resources affirm the role of formal communication pathways, such as letters of correspondence to support coordinated, patient-centred and multidisciplinary care. Challenges with letter writing and IPC signal the need for more student and professional education on the subject to promote continuity of patient care and the delivery of high quality, integrative medicine and health care services.

Keywords:

continuity of patient care cultural competency integrative medicine interdisciplinary communication professional education professional practice

More Related Videos

An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient

An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient

Published on: November 30, 2022

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Barriers to Effective Communication II

Barriers to Effective Communication II

The barriers to effective communication also include cultural barriers, semantic barriers, gender barriers, and time constraints.
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...

Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I

Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I

An interdisciplinary team includes many healthcare professionals working together and utilizing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide holistic and quality patient care.
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...

Communication

Communication

Sharing information, concepts, and emotions to foster mutual understanding is communication. The sender, recipient, and transaction must be considered in this manner. The sender is the person who shares the message, the recipient is the person who receives and understands the message, and the transaction is the method used to deliver the message and the variables that affect the communication's context and surroundings. The nurse-client connection is built on therapeutic communication.

Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II

Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II

An interdisciplinary team includes many healthcare professionals working together and utilizing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide holistic and quality patient care. Here are a few more healthcare professionals.
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...

Patient-centered Care

Patient-centered Care

Patient-centered care involves delivering care beyond inpatient hospitalization. Reflective practice can enhance a patient-centered approach. Reflective practice is a process of reasoning that considers all aspects of the present situation, including practicalities, learning from personal practice, and consideration of patient needs. Patients appreciate care decisions made while considering their input. Involving the patient in their care provides the patient with a sense of contribution rather...

Levels of Communication I: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Small Group

Levels of Communication I: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Small Group

Interpersonal communication focuses on the exchange of messages between two people.
We can participate in these relationships through verbal, nonverbal, and mediated communication. We engage in verbal communication when we use words during our interaction to convey specific meanings. On the other hand, nonverbal communication refers to various factors that can impact how we understand each other—for example, facial expressions.
We interact with others using mediated technologies like the...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Navigating the Psychosocial Journey: A Meta-Ethnographic Review of the Psychosocial Needs and Experiences of Children and Adolescents (0-19 Years) Diagnosed With Cancer Across the Care Continuum.

Psycho-oncology·2026

Vitamin B6: too much, too little, too late? An analysis of sales trends in Australia from 2023 to 2025.

Internal medicine journal·2026

Lonely in place? The intersection of loneliness and place in the chronic illness experience.

Health & place·2026

The Health, Wellbeing and Health Service Use of Women Attempting or Planning Pregnancy: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey of Australian Women.

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)·2026

The Persistence of Stigma and Other Challenges Experienced by Medical Cannabis Users: A Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.

Medical cannabis and cannabinoids·2026

Nasogastric Hydration Utilization in Bronchiolitis, an EMO Trial Observational Substudy.

Hospital pediatrics·2026

See all related articles