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Thank you for publishing Marat Moore's informative interview with Dr. Ken Moritsugu ("Newsmakers," June 19, 2007).
I am a speech-language pathologist and teacher of English as a second language in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. In addition to other clinical work, I work privately with physicians who are having difficulties with communication. Within this context, I have become interested in the potential role of SLPs in improving communication in health care settings, not just with our own patients, but also across the various health care disciplines.
Several physicians with whom I have worked have initially expressed skepticism at the idea of working to improve communication skills. "Communication" is perceived by some as a "soft skill," and working on it can be seen as an unproductive use of precious time by professionals who are under increasing pressures to increase their billable time.
However, communication in health care settings can have life-or-death consequences. According to the Joint Commission, sentinel events are defined as unexpected occurrences involving death or serious physical or psychological injury of a patient. In 2006, the Joint Commission reported that 65% of sentinel events in medical settings were the result of miscommunication.
As SLPs, we are students of the processes of human communication. By sharing what we know about what makes communication effective, we can improve quality of care for patients. Of course, it starts with our own caseloads, but there are implications beyond that. As specialists in communication, we can facilitate the improvement of communication in health care on a much larger scale.
Marilyn Fairchild
St. Paul, Minnesota
fairchildm@msn.com
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