Effective Collaborative Communication in Hospice Care

Communication can be both verbal and nonverbal with subtypes that can include positive and negative communication, open and closed communication as well as effective and ineffective communication. Communication is defined as “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a ommon system of symbols, signs or behavior” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication). Communication has to be beneficial to all members of the team and should allow team members to use it effectively and successful. According to King [1], “If health information is to be effective, it must be communicated in such a way as to motivate each individual to understand it and then to use it”. Effective collaborative communication is essential for the success of any endeavor. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines effective as producing a desired effect and ineffective as not producing an intended effect. In the field of nursing, effective communication is considered communication that is precise and concise with a successful outcome. King’s conceptual definition requires clear transactions between sources for effective communication to occur [2]. Research regarding communication between team members in hospice interdisciplinary team meetings, communication between physicians regarding hospice and palliative care, technology that can improve both communication and collaboration between team members has been reported. Hospice has been defined by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) as “hospice care involves a teamoriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes. Support is provided to the �patient’s loved ones as well. At the center of hospice and palliative care is the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our families will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so [3]. Additionally, measures for collaboration and communication have been identified. However, there is limited data regarding effective collaborative communication between clinical and non-clinical team members in (a) hospice admissions settings. The purpose of the study was to explore communication between clinical and non-clinical team members in a hospice (home) care setting and specifically, the admissions department. A component of this project involved efforts to develop a survey for data collection. The survey was a test survey instrument that was being developed for future research on the collaborative communication between the clinical and nonclinical team members in the hospice admissions setting. The initial efforts undertaken as a preliminary step of the broader objective to learn more about communication between clinical and non-clinical communication of hospice admission teams, focused on instrument development, pilot testing of the instrument tool and analysis of the reliability of the instrument.