In response to the pandemic, many changes have become necessary across our sites to facilitate the safe delivery of care for our patients. COVID-19 wards, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the introduction of visiting restrictions have become routine to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Whilst these changes have been implemented to protect ourselves and our patients, they have also impacted our patients’ experience of care.
Communication with our patients, their families and carers is at the heart of safe, high-quality care and exceptional patient experience. During these challenging times, effective communication is essential to the compassionate care and comfort we provide to our patients – and how do we know this?… our patients, their families and carers are telling us.
If you are faced with communication challenges presented by COVID-19, there are some strategies and measures you can implement. These include:
1. Introduce yourself and use visual identifiers
Staff introductions are key to establishing a connection at the beginning of any patient interaction. When donned with PPE, this is particularly important as many of the usual identifying features such as name tags, badges and uniforms may be concealed.
To enable patients to identify you with ease, make your name and role highly visible using large stickers, name tags, badges or photos on your uniform or face shield.
2. Be aware of how you communicate when wearing a mask
The use of PPE can make it very hard to understand what we say due to facial expressions being hidden or voices muffled by face masks. Some patients may also become anxious being surrounded by people wearing PPE.
Unfortunately, what we need to wear to protect ourselves and our patients can’t change – but we can change how we communicate when wearing a mask. For more information on how to communicate better when wearing a mask, visit the Monash Health COVID-19 employee website.
3. Encourage loved ones to use the virtual visiting program
Patient communication with loved ones and visits from family and friends contributes significantly to patient well-being. Unfortunately, visiting restrictions has resulted in some patients feeling lonely.
However, Monash Health’s virtual visiting program aims to keep everyone safe and connected when family and friends are unable to come into the hospital. For more information, see the virtual visiting resources on PROMPT.
When we receive positive feedback about a patient’s experience of care, it is a testament to the motivation, dedication, and strong work ethic of the workforce across our health service.
Every employee has worked tirelessly to ensure a high standard of patient care is maintained during an unprecedented time for Monash Health.
We are all a part of the patient experience!
Approved by Anjali Dhulia.