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Learn MoreNurses have little control of how much information is coming at them, whether in terms of volume, frequency, or urgency. When nurses receive information, they’re expected to process the information, determine its importance, and potentially act on it. This can occur multiple times daily. Many sources detail how information exhaustion is prevalent in the healthcare environment. Compounding the problem is the proliferation of alarms of all types in healthcare. Nurse.org warns that “Unfortunately, due to the high number of false alarms, alarms that are meant to alert clinicians of problems with patients are sometimes being ignored. Assuming that an alarm is false puts patients in harm’s way and could lead to medical mistakes” (Gaines, 2019).
Organizational communication makes its own contribution to the informational overload in healthcare. NurseGrid, a HealthStream partner committed to transforming healthcare for the better, recently posted Information Overload in the Nurse World & How to Fix It.” Here are some ways they shared for healthcare management to lessen the potential for overwhelming staff with information.
Healthcare management likes to send lengthy missives by email, full of details and difficult to digest. There’s no reason one email needs to include a slew of updates, policy changes, reminders, kudos, tsk-tsks, and hospital-wide announcements. When everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized, and the actual important information won’t be retained.
Instead, limit emails to 3 important takeaways and provide them in bullet point format. Stick to the issues that require immediate knowledge. If there is other information that needs to be shared, save it for the monthly staff meeting.
In many healthcare organizations, the walls are covered in flyers. Sometimes they are even hung inside staff bathrooms. Those few moments of silence are seen as golden opportunities by management to communicate out just one more “urgent” issue. But the only thing that feels urgent at that moment has nothing to do with what’s written on the flyer.
Instead, limit all flyers to a bulletin board, and don’t expect any of that information to be retained. More importantly, if something is truly, vitally important, don’t put it on a flyer! This is a good opportunity to create a stricter definition of what constitutes as “urgent and important” information.
No one appreciates it when their phone blows up on their days off with pleas from a boss to work extra. Response rates are poor because the recipient knows who is calling and texting and can ignore it. If you text to communicate with your staff while they are not at work, you’re failing to communicate properly and adding to the oppressive noise at the worst possible time.
Instead, employ modern communication solutions designed specifically for healthcare. Avoid invading employees’ home time. Invest in solutions that will improve your response rates while simultaneously boosting staff satisfaction.
The communication problem in healthcare emphasizes how nurse managers have to be more intentional in their efforts to communicate with their employees. Caring for patients is too important to waste their time with unimportant information. Likewise, more controlled and purposeful methods to communicate can help staff absorb more information with half the annoyance.
References
Gaines, K., “Alarm Fatigue is Way Too Real (and Scary) For Nurses,” nurse.org, August 19, 2019, Retrieved at https://nurse.org/articles/alarm-fatigue-statistics-patient-safety/.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceBe confident in your staff’s ability to reduce risk by providing compliance training that changes behavior.
View All ProductsDevelop next-level people for next-level care by prioritizing quality and safety improvements.
View All ProductsEstablish a culture of belonging with education supporting DEI, wellness, engagement, and leadership development.
View All ProductsUtilize patient access solutions and advanced reimbursement solutions to manage clinical denials and improve your organization’s reimbursement strategy.
View All ReimbursementExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ProductsUnlocking the full potential of clinicians goes beyond aspiration – it’s a commitment we embody. Our competency development solutions help personalize learning for every clinician so you can confidently bridge the gap between theory and practice for your nurse residents while meeting the unique development needs of your seasoned clinician.
View All ProductsEnhance maternal & child nursing care with solutions focused on improving the quality of care for mothers, infants, and children.
View All ProductsAddress staffing challenges, standardize orientation and onboarding, and deliver an effective training program for your team to easily achieve and maintain certification with our critical, emergency, and acute care solutions.
View All ProductsWe understand the critical importance of earning and maintaining your patients' trust in the delivery of exceptional sedation and surgical outcomes. As a premier provider of healthcare education, we are committed to empowering you in promoting safer, more successful outcomes for each and every patient, without exception.
View All ProductsOur solutions are meticulously designed to cater to the diverse needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations. Within this innovative framework, we have curated specialized subsets of solutions aimed at addressing the ever-evolving challenges faced by individuals dealing with illnesses or chronic conditions.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare workforce management is essential. We provide advanced scheduling solutions for organizations to solve issues such as nurse retention
View All ProductsComprehensive, industry-leading provider onboarding and credentialing software that validate health outcomes and support provider assessment.
View All CredentialingOur affordable CVO credentialing services establish patient safety by enabling primary source verification for your healthcare organization.
View All ProductsIntegrate with Epic to validate and add new providers directly to your provider master file.
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