The Effect of Employee Satisfaction and Professional Communication on Patient Care

Employee satisfaction has been linked to improved patient outcomes (Lu et al., 2022). Satisfied healthcare workers tend to appreciate their jobs and, by extension, offer quality healthcare to their patients. Nurses experiencing burnout and job dissatisfaction are usually frustrated; hence, they hurriedly take care of their patients, which increases the risk of medication errors. Conversely, adequately staffed healthcare facilities have low patient mortality. Moreover, qualities of professional communication that contribute to acceptable interactions with patients, their families, and other healthcare professionals include honesty, empathy, active listening, accuracy and clarity (Chichirez & Purcărea, 2018). Healthcare professionals must explain their diagnosis and treatment plan to a patient in a language that the patient understands. Before discussing a patient’s condition with the patient’s family, a healthcare professional must seek consent. After all, a patient’s understanding of their diagnosis and treatment plan’s advantages dictates their adherence and compliance. Although it is psychologically stressful for patients and their families to be informed of their cancer diagnosis, the healthcare professional must be honest about the patient’s situation. In this regard, honesty ensures that the client fully understands their situation. Also, empathy shows the patient that the healthcare worker understands their situation, encouraging them to trust the healthcare worker. Active listening is also important as it signifies a healthcare professional’s eagerness to converse with the patient and their family. Accordingly, nodding, maintaining eye contact, and taking notes encourage the patient and their family to ask questions and clarifications without fear.

Personal Role as Health Care Leader to Interdisciplinary Team and Patients

Healthcare leaders facilitate clear communication and collaboration by creating avenues where team members can bond outside their roles. During World Cancer Day, healthcare leaders can create events where oncology unit healthcare professionals, cancer patients, and their families meet and celebrate the strides in cancer care. During such events, patients and their families get a chance to address their challenges as cancer patients. Additionally, healthcare leaders can empower team members through training and continuous medical education on effective communication and the advantages of proper communication between team members and patients.

References

Amjad, M. T., Chidharla, A., & Kasi, A. (2022). Cancer Chemotherapy. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564367/.