Communication Channels, Essay Example

The following types of communication  devices are used within a Hospital setting:

On-Call Pager:  May be used to get Doctors or Senior nurses to specific urgent appointments. A simple device that beeps the caller with a message and contact number.  (Phoenix Childrens Hospital, 2009)

E-Mail:  Electronic mail can be used for internal and external communications; however care must be taken with patient confidentiality.  Improvements can be made with levels of encryption and not allowing the use of portable USB drives for transferring data.

Fax:  Fax is a useful means for external and internal communications where a paper transcription is required.  Actual fax machines can now be replaced by using software that integrates fax, voice messages and e-mail into a single unified system.

Newsletters / Bulletins:  May be used to disseminate information to other Departments within the hospital and externally.  Internal tend to be more informative on medical practices, whereas external newsletters focus on health related matters and patient well being.

Cell Phones:  Adopted as a standard technology for Doctors and Nurses.

Pipeline:  Verbal communications may have to adhere to the hospital rules and regulations and as such go through various protocols and channels .. ” A communication system can be bounded by formal procedure rather than technology, e.g. clinical handover. A hospital may have many different policies that shape their communication system performance, independent of the specific technologies used. For example, it might be a policy to prohibit general practitioners to obtain a medical record directly from the records department without the permission of a hospital clinician.” (Coiera, 2006)  In such practices the modernity or speed of technology cannot supersede the hospital regulations. There is a need to examine business process and workflows to avoid data redundancy and streamline duplicity in the system.

Notice Boards: Used for staff notices but also for general information to the public

Team Briefs: For Doctors and nursing staff to update on patient care and Doctors rounds

Staff Meetings:  Held monthly for all staff to attend

Magazine:  Quarterly journal used for external media exposure and promotion of the hospital services and benefits.

Works Cited

Coiera, E. (2006, May 27). The Clinical Biochemist Review. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from Communication Systems in Healthcare: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1579411/

Phoenix Childrens Hospital. (2009). Retrieved October 14, 2009, from Media Relations Policy : http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/about/press-media/media-relations-policy/