Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 12:10:2164956121992338.
doi: 10.1177/2164956121992338. eCollection 2021.

Can We All Speak the Same 'Language' for Our Patients' Sake? Feedback on Interprofessional Communication and Related Resources

Janet Nguyen  1 , Jennifer Hunter  2 , Lorraine Smith  1 , Amy Forth  3 , Amy Tyler  4 , Louise Furney  5 , Carolyn Ee  2 , Joanna E Harnett  1 ; Grad Cert Educational Studies
Affiliations

Can We All Speak the Same 'Language' for Our Patients' Sake? Feedback on Interprofessional Communication and Related Resources

Janet Nguyen et al. Glob Adv Health Med. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: The Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA) established a working group to develop the AIMA Guiding Principles for Letter Writing and Letter Writing Templates. The guiding principles were developed to promote effective communication between the diverse range of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) that patients choose to consult. Following the development of the Interprofessional Communication (IPC) resources, AIMA undertook a public consultation as part of a quality assurance process to evaluate the relevance and utility of the resource.

Aim: This study reports stakeholder feedback on AIMA's draft guiding principles document. It explores stakeholder attitudes towards IPC and HCPs letter-writing, and interest in ongoing continuing professional development (CPD).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey involving 1) an online public consultation survey and 2) a paper survey collected following IPC CPD activities. Quantitative data were analysed using Chi square and Fisher-Freeman-Halton Test. Responses to open ended questions were coded and subject to a thematic analysis.

Results: The 64 survey participants and 55 CPD participants represented the Australian healthcare sectors and lay community. Most thought IPC is important (n = 112/117; 96%) and the resources were informative (n = 112/119; 94%), understandable (n = 111/119; 93%), and clinically relevant (n = 105/117; 90%). HCP reported wide variations in their frequency of correspondence with other practitioner types, with rates often concerningly low. Key IPC themes identified were the importance of continuity of care, clarity of communication, and professional practice. CPD participants were most interested in further IPC training (p = 0.001).

Conclusions: The IPC resources affirm the role of formal communication pathways, such as letters of correspondence to support coordinated, patient-centred and multidisciplinary care. Challenges with letter writing and IPC signal the need for more student and professional education on the subject to promote continuity of patient care and the delivery of high quality, integrative medicine and health care services.

Keywords: continuity of patient care; cultural competency; integrative medicine; interdisciplinary communication; professional education; professional practice.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Author J.Hu. (Jennifer Hunter), is the Chair of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association Interprofessional Communication Working Group that prepared the AIMA IPC Guidelines, is engaged in integrative medicine primary care clinical practice, and is affiliated with NICM Health Research Institute. As a medical research institute, NICM Health Research Institute receives research grants and donations from foundations, universities, government agencies, individuals and industry. Sponsors and donors provide untied funding for work to advance the vision and mission of the institute. Author J.Ha. (Joanna Harnett) is engaged T&CM education and research at The University of Sydney. As a researcher in the field of complementary medicine, receives research grants and donations from industry and internal and external funding bodies. J.Ha. serves on the board of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association who actively promotes IPC between conventional and T&CM HCP. The project that is the subject of this article was not undertaken as part of a contractual relationship with any donor or sponsor. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest. Authors J.N. and L.S. have nothing to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Themes and Sub-Themes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Claramita M, Riskiyana R, Susilo AP, Huriyati E, Wahyuningsih MS, Norcini JJ. interprofessional communication in a socio-hierarchical culture: development of the Tri-O guide. J Multidisciplin Healthcare. 2019; 12:191. - PMC - PubMed
    1. The Joint Commission. (2016). Summary data of sentinel events 2004-2015. https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/2004-2015_SE_Stats_Summary.pdf. Accessed January 22, 2021.
    1. Hall P. Interprofessional teamwork: professional cultures as barriers. J Interprofession Care. 2005; 19(sup1):188–196. - PubMed
    1. Nguyen J, Smith L, Hunter J, Harnett JE. Conventional and complementary medicine health care practitioners’ perspectives on interprofessional communication: a qualitative rapid review. Medicina. 2019; 55(10):650. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vermeir P, Vandijck D, Degroote S, et al.. Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations. Int J Clin Pract. 2015; 69(11):1257–1267. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources