Crisis Communication In Health Care

Communication in times of crisis can be very difficult because of the extenuating circumstance, and misunderstanding of which tasks need completed first for patient safety. In my work setting a power outage or a fire in an emergency. A power outage is a crisis because the blood will clot without circulating, and there is not a generator. The patient will lose the blood if not returned quickly. In the event of a power outage, manually the health care provider should crank the machine to return the blood. In the event of a fire the patient is to be taken off the dialysis machine without returning the blood. In the event of a crisis keeping communication lines open, clear, and concise is essential. In a health care setting a crisis will make the patient very uncomfortable, and possibly frantic. The nurse must reassure the patient of safety to reduce his or her
It is best to keep an open line of communication, and give instructions in a clear and concise manner. Stress during an emergency or crisis situation can affect the communication process. Stress can change the sender's and the receiver's tone of voice, speed, clarity, and overall information that is given. When there is not effective communication in the crisis environment the health care provider's and patient's safety is on the line. Overcoming communication barriers is essential to achieve effective communication. Communication barriers such as noise cannot always be resolved. However, the health care provider may help the patient stay calm by providing ear plugs (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). The health care provider should always engage in active listening to be sure of accurately decoding a message. During a crisis the facility or group of responders should have a crisis management plan in store. This will lead the way to faster and easier patient