Services on Demand
Article
Indicators
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in Google
Share
Curationis
On-line version ISSN 2223-6279
Print version ISSN 0379-8577
Curationis vol.31 n.4 Pretoria 2008
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Interdepartmental communication at tertiary hospital campus in the Limpopo Province
TM MothibaI; BL DolamoII; ME LekhuleniIII
IM Cur, Lecturer; Department of Nursing, University of Limpopo, Sovenga
IID Cur; Department of Nursing, University of Limpopo, Sovenga
IIIM Cur; Department of Nursing, University of Limpopo, Sovenga
ABSTRACT
Interdepartmental communication in a hospital setting is fundamental to the provision of quality patient care. Effective communication modes are important because they result in the improvement of patient care (Tappen, 1995:181). Preliminary investigations into the main problems that underscore patients' dissatisfaction have identified, among others, the failure of health professionals to communicate effectively. In this study an attempt was made to describe experiences of health professionals with regard to inter-departmental communications , define inter-departmental communication in selected departments of a tertiary hospital campus in the Limpopo Province and lastly, to formulate inter-departmental communication guidelines for health professionals.
A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research method was followed as a holistic approach in research for participants to describe their experiences regarding the phenomenon in question (Brink, 2006:113). Data were collected through individual unstructured interviews in all selected departments for each participant. The researchers employed the principles of Guba and Lincoln (1985) in De Vos (1998:331) relating to trustworthiness and adhered to the ethical standards as set by DENOSA (1998) to ensure the quality of the study.
Three themes and categories emerged from the data analysis using Tech's open coding approach (1990) as outlined in De Vos (1998:343), namely, existence versus non-existence of inter-departmental meetings, inter-departmental communication barriers and limited communication guidelines. The guidelines were developed using Ellis, Gates and Kenworthy's model of effective communication (1995:59) that includes the establishment of interdepartmental meetings, using effective communication modes, providing accurate and constant reporting, establishing staff development programmes, creating an effective communication environment and using skills for effective communication.
Keywords: Interdepartmental communication, Health professionals, Tertiary hospital campus
“Full text available only in PDF format”
References
BRINK, H 2006: Fundamentals of Research Methodology for Nurses. 2nd edition. Revised Cape Town: Juta. [ Links ]
BURKE, M; BOAL, J & MITCHELL, R 2004: Communicating for Better Care, American Journal of Nursing. 104 (12): 40-48. [ Links ]
BURNS, N & GROVE, SK 1993: The Practice of Nursing Research: Conduct, Critique & Utilisation. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: W.B.Saunders CO. [ Links ]
CLIFFORD, C 1997: Qualitative Research Methodology in Nursing and Health Care. 1st edition. New York: Churchill Livingstone. [ Links ]
DENOSA, 1998: Position Statement. Pretoria: DENOSA [ Links ]
DE VOS, AS 1998: Research at Grass Roots: A Primer for the Caring Professions. Pretoria: Van Schaik. [ Links ]
DOUGLASS, LM 1996: The Effective Nurse Leader and Manager. 5th edition. London: Mosby. [ Links ]
ELLIS, RB; GATES, RJ & KENWORTHY, N 1995: Interpersonal Communication in Nursing. London: Churchill Livingston. [ Links ]
GILLIES, DA 1994: Nursing Management: A Systems Approach. Phildelphia: W B. Saunders. [ Links ]
HALL, J 2002: System Does Not Make Mistakes People Do, Journal of Nursing Administration. 4 (4): 23-38, December [ Links ]
HAWKINS, JM 2003: The South African Oxford School Dictionary. Cape Town: ABC Press. [ Links ]
HEIN, EC 1998: Contemporary Leadership Behaviour. 5th edition. New York. Lippincott. [ Links ]
HENDRICKS, W 1994: The Manager's Role as a Coach. USA: National Press Publications. [ Links ]
HUBER, NS 2000: Leading from Within: Developing Personal Direction. Malabar: Krieger. [ Links ]
IVANCEVICH, JM & MATTESON, MT 1996: Organizational Behaviour and Management. 4th edition. USA: Irwin. [ Links ]
JOHNSON, JD 1993: Organizational Communication Structure. Norwood, N. J: Ablex. [ Links ]
JOOSTE, K 2003: Leadership in Health Services Management. Lansdowne: Juta. [ Links ]
LEENERTS, MH 2003: Teaching Personal Knowledge as a Way of Knowing Self in Therapeutic Relationships. Nursing Outlook. 51(4): 158-164, August. [ Links ]
MARQUIS, BL & HUSTON, CJ 1996: Leadership Roles and Management Function in Nursing: Theory and Application. New York: Lippincott. [ Links ]
MADDOX, PJ; WAKEFIELD, M & BULL, J 2001: Patient Safety and the Need for Professional and Educational Change. Nursing Outlook. 49 (1): 8 - 13, February. [ Links ]
MILLER, KI & APKER, J 2002: Professional Changes and Communication Dilemmas of Hospital Nurses, Nursing Outlook. 50 (4): 154, August. [ Links ]
NEL, PS 2002: South African Employment Relations Theory and Practice. 4th edition. Pretoria: Van Shaik Publishers. [ Links ]
NORTHERN PROVINCE (SOUTH AFRICA) 1999: Transformation and Batho Pele Standards Development and Assessment Protocol, Version 4, 3 June. Pietersburg. [ Links ]
NORTHOUSE, PG & NORTHOUSE, I.I. 1992: Health Communication: Strategies for Health Professionals. 2nd edition. East Norwalk: Appleton & Lange. [ Links ]
PAGANO, MP & RAGAN, SL 1992: Communication Skills for Professional Nurses. USA: Sage Publications, Inc. [ Links ]
PEARSON, P & SPENCER, J 1997: Promoting Teamwork in Primary Care. London: Arnold. [ Links ]
PONTE, PR 2003: Collaboration among Nurse Executive in Complex Environment Fostering Administrative Best Practice. Journal of Nursing Administration. 33 (11): 596. [ Links ]
PUTH, G 2002: The Communicating Leader. 2nd edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. [ Links ]
ROUSSEL, L 2006: Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. [ Links ]
SCHOBER, JE & HINCHLIFF, SM 1995: Towards Advanced Nursing Practice Key Concepts for Health Care. London: Arnold. [ Links ]
SOUTH AFRICA. 2002: Department of Health Communication Policy Western Cape. Western Cape. [ Links ]
STEINBERG S 2002: Communication Studies: An Introduction. Cape Town: Juta & Company. [ Links ]
TAPPEN, RM 1995: Nursing Leadership and Management: Concepts and Practice. 3rd edition. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company. [ Links ]
TRIOLO, PK 2002: Improving Patient Satisfaction Through Multidisciplinary Performance Improvement Teams. Journal of Nursing Administration. 32 (9): 331. [ Links ]
Correspondence:
Tebogo Maria Mothiba
University of Limpopo
Private Bag XI106
Sovenga, 0727
Tel:(015) 268-2384/3173; Fax: (015) 268-3080
E-mail: mariatm@ul.ac.za