title: Priming professionals for a complex communication environment: Findings from a pilot study.
abstract: Factors such as time pressure, distractions, and profession-specific jargon can contribute to poor communication in complex working environments such as healthcare. Technical solutions are often sought to improve patient care when simple improvements in communication would suffice. This article describes an icebreaker activity, an interprofessional game, aimed to prime and engage experienced healthcare professionals on the topic of communication, specifically related to care transitions. By using unexpected content from veterinary care, cycling messages rapidly, and by adding distractors, we were successful in creating openness to considering communication needs in new ways. Participants completed an evaluation following this intervention. It was found that the activity was effective at raising awareness of communication problems and the activity caused participants to view care transitions communications in new ways. In particular, it was reported that this activity illustrated opportunities for communication improvement at multiple levels including peer-to-peer and with patients. This interprofessional activity can illustrate communication barriers, both within and beyond healthcare, in an interactive and engaging manner.
authors.affiliation: a South Carolina Hospital Association , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.|b Department of Industrial Engineering , Clemson University , Clemson , South Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Ashley Kay
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Childers
authors.affiliation: a South Carolina Hospital Association , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: c Health Sciences South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: c Health Sciences South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Christine B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Turley
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: Active learning; communication; complexity; health and social care; icebreaker; interprofessional learning; teamwork