Public Relations at Work - a useful formula for communication, which reduces errors

If you could reduce the number of serious mistakes in your life with a solution that does not cost anything, would you do? Many hospitals are reducing deaths and injuries from errors. Their solution is not more technical training for surgeons, or fancy new equipment. The remedy is very simple - to teach people to talk together in a clear and concise.

"Poor communication in medical practice is one of the most common causes of medical errors," said Richard M. Frankel, Ph.D., professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a researcher at the Health Services Research and Development Center on Implementing Evidence-Based Practice.

In fact, 60 percent of death-and injury-events are a direct result of communication errors, according to the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

The most important situation is where a patient or activities is passed on from person to person. A simple misunderstanding can lead to a patient to receive the wrong medication, or worse.

Now think about your work and your family. How many times errors are the result of poor communication? If you analyze, you will find that a large number of mistakes in life come from two or more people who suffer from a simple "failure to communicate".

One solution is the use of a "communication model". Dr. Frankel said that many health professionals are adopting a very simple conversation techniques first developed in the military and aviation, where fast-but-accurate briefings can mean the difference between life and death not just for one person, but for hundreds or thousands. The day I spoke with him (Friday, June 30), Dr. Frankel was getting on a plane to Kenya, where he is lending his expertise to help administrators who operate a large center for AIDS treatment.

There are different models. Most involve a structured way to have a multi-step conversation in just a minute or two. "It's not rocket science," said Dr. Frankel. An example is the S-B-A-R model:

S - Situation. Describe the problem in a simple sentence.

B - Background. Anticipate the questions of the listeners on the situation and provide these answers.

A - Assessment. Summarize your observations about the situation.

R - Recommendation. Provide a specific recommendation to solve the problem.

The use of such a formula forces both the speaker and the listener to move through a discussion in a predictable way, the logic flow. It traverses the hierarchy. It allows people with different communication styles to "get on the same page." It puts more weight on the conversation. It causes the listener to react to the recommendation of the speaker, rather than passively take information. It saves time by cutting through superfluous details. A briefing landed can be done in only 60 seconds or less.

A large hospital in Illinois implemented the approach and landed reduced cases of harm to patients by more than half in the first year, according to The Wall Street Journal.

This technique was created in the aviation sector, in which NASA and other agencies have recognized that the hierarchy interferes with communication in a crisis, said Dr. Frankel. The surgeons, ship captains and others at the top of a hierarchy often do not receive critical information because subordinates are unable or unwilling to speak in a clear and decisive. "In medicine, we see that some surgeons who intimidate others have a much higher rate of complications, because their style breaks the cycle of communication," Dr. Frankel said. The model landed provides a tool to overcome hierarchical barriers that may end up killing people.

Just as a model of conversation as landed can help doctors and nurses to reduce deaths, injuries and malpractice claims, improve interpersonal communication can help us all save money, improve relationships and reduce accidents in our lives.

"Any type of production process, personal service or service has enormous potential to benefit" from the use of landed, Dr. Frankel said.

Try the approach landed in your work, or even at home. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature, and your day to day interactions become much more productive .......