I am involved with an amazing discourse communities but it doesnt come without its problems . The main problem I have with my community is the fact that communication between the doctors and nurses and radiology isn’t all in sync . What I mean by that is sometimes nurse won’t fill out certain forms like contrast questionnaires so patients can get there catscan. That is just a small incident in bigger situations for example if radiology does not know if a patient is allergic to a certain contrast they can have a reaction and possibly die. I have done some research and have seen that over 1744 deaths have occurred in the last five years because of no communication or lack there of . If you also look at it from a financial standpoint then it also increases cost because that means increased emergency visits and impatient care.
One of the most common terms I hear from patients is my doctor or nurse didn’t tell me about this . This lack of communication has to be stopped. One way my job is combating this problem is with a new computer system called epic whisky now connects and allows for open communication with doctors nurses and techs. This allows us to see what the other is doing in relation to the patient so everyone is in sync.
This is not the only issue in my discourse community that concerns me is that lack of knowledge or education of protocols in the hospital. The problem I have with this issue is that it can lead to more miscommunication and maybe the patient getting hurt. some exams patient can not eat before because it can hinder exams but nurses sometimes do not know that so they might feed the patient anyway. This then prolongs the patients stay and leads to frustration. Another example of this is when doctors do not know or follow protocol and they order the wrong exam for the patient. This also cause the patient care to be prolonged and can give the patient extra radiation if it has to be done again.
This is a good specific DC within a larger community. Sounds like you’re on the right track. I would have you think about the reasons for miscommunication between radiology and nurses and doctors. Does it have to do with the way the radiology department and those in it are seen in the hierarchy of the hospital? Something else?
Your subject is very interesting. The inconsistent communication between doctors and nurses and radiologists can cause patients a lot of inconvenience or damage. It’s a good thing that a new computer system has been introduced.