5 Tips to Enhance Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals

ByHealth Care Organizations

Communication skills are one of the most important interpersonal skills that every professional should possess irrespective of their field of work and position. These skills help professionals convey their ideas effectively, discuss important matters well, build trust among team members and climb up the corporate ladder. However, good communication skills are all the more important for healthcare providers including doctors and nurses as their discussions revolve around patients’ health conditions and further course of treatment. Additionally, they need to communicate with patients and their guardians in a clear yet empathetic manner so that they understand the condition, prognosis and treatment plan without panicking about the whole situation. 

So, below are 5 tips that can help healthcare providers enhance their communication skills. To gain perfection and recognised certifications, one can attend online workshops organised by CAHO (Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations) as they are specially conducted to refine communication skills for the healthcare professionals working across the nation.

  1. No matter how good a healthcare professional is at expressing themselves or describing a health condition, their communications skills fail if they do not listen to what the other person (their patient or their teammate) has to say. Listening is one of the most important parts of communication. Healthcare providers should listen to their patient’s concerns as well as other healthcare experts suggestions before responding accordingly. Therefore, spare a minute, let the other person express their thoughts freely, listen carefully and then speak appropriately. 

  2. Body language is a non-verbal type of communication that plays an important role in building the patient-health expert relationship. The healthcare provider should be able to observe and comprehend the patient’s body language while maintaining their own to show no signs of disinterest or apathy. 

  3. Honesty is essential in the field of healthcare. Both the patient and the provider should communicate honestly and share all the necessary information. Hiding facts or data can lead to critical consequences in this sector. 

  4. Patients and their guardians rely on their healthcare providers and trust them with their health and life. Therefore, healthcare providers should communicate in such a way that it increases their credibility and dependability. They should be able to take responsibility and accept mistakes or misjudgements if the need arises. 

  5. While healthcare professionals should be friendly with their patients, they must also maintain the utmost professionalism. They should confine themselves from sharing their personal opinions and stick to only offering their clinical expertise. 

Being a healthcare professional is a hugely responsible job. Therefore, even after becoming a certified healthcare provider, professionals should keep working on their skills to further improve the quality of services offered by them. CAHO is an authorised body that works in the same direction. It offers short-term upskilling courses, such as Infection Control Nurse courses, workshops for basic nursing communication, etc. One may visit CAHO’s website for detailed information about the courses.