Can you hear me now? 7 patient-provider communication roadblocks and how to avoid them
Resolve these common challenges to effective patient-provider communication.
Effective patient-provider communication is essential to the delivery of high-quality healthcare. Good communication facilitates the comprehension of critical information and increases task adherence, while poor communication can lead to high rates of patient dissatisfaction and poor outcomes.1
Here are 7 barriers to patient-provider communication and how to resolve them:
1. Patients have low health literacy
Potential outcome: Higher risk of developing infections after surgery2
Solution: Provide how-to videos or pictures that show patients what to do
2. Patients experience information overload
Potential outcome: Low task adherence that leads to an increase in same-day surgical cancellations
Solution: Deliver time-sensitive information at the right time
3. Patients don’t a from unknown numbers
Potential outcome: More likely to miss critical instructions
Solution: Send secure text messages
4. Patient portal adoption is low
Potential outcome: Further reduces the likelihood that care plans have been reviewed
Solution: Offer a user experience on a platform patients want to use
5. Providers send generic educational information
Potential outcomes: Adds to the misconception that providers don’t understand their patients
Solution: Make customized care plans available
6. Providers send one-way communications
Potential outcomes: Leaves patients with unanswered questions and no way to resolve them
Solution: Connect patients with the care team and educational resources to answer questions
7. Providers lack a process for managing informed consent
Potential outcome: Erodes trust as patients don’t necessarily understand what they’re being asked to sign3
Solution: Share educational material with patients throughout the healthcare journey
Learn how Ayva can help your practice or surgery center overcome these and other common patient-provider communication roadblocks.