Electronic Communication Report: The Barnet and Chase Hospitals and NHS - Coursework Example

Electronic Communication Report Introduction The Barnet and Chase Hospitals and NHS trust is one of the famous health trusts in England. From the time its operation began in 1999, it has been the most sought after health center. When compared to the other health trust, Barnet and Chase stand out due to its unprecedented service to the patients. The trust aims at providing best in class facilities and world class treatments to its patients. This increases the responsibility of the hospital authorities to maintain their standard and to provide quality service to the patients. Due to this factor, the responsibilities of the authorities are more when compared to the other types of organizations. Communication The capacity of communication and mechanisms determine the ability of the organization to interact with its users. Communicating with the patients is one of the major objectives that have to be carried out in an effective manner. Communication is not a mere task of intimating the patients; instead it involves communicating with the people involved in the hospital, the patients and the public. The organization’s efficiency, level of interaction and its standard is determined by the way it communicates with its users. Terms of Reference As a management consultant, the effectiveness and the quality of the communication medium must be analyzed. When considering the users, the organization must use the most effective communication tool so as to improve the organization’s quality and the management on the whole. Since electronic communication is considered to be the best methods of communication, the organizations implement them in order to maintain their contacts with their users. A hospital must be all the more careful in communicating with its patients as any misinterpretation would cost a life. Electronic Communication The medium and mode of communication determines how effectively the information is conveyed to the intended audience. Electronic communication reaches people in a much better manner. Electronic communication is of several types and each has their own advantages and disadvantages. An organization must incorporate easily accessible and understandable methods of communication to make the process simple. Internal and External Communication The hospital maintains separate mechanisms for the internal and external communication. The hospital uses electronic displays and notice boards to intimate the staffs regarding any information. (Flynn, 2007). Another medium used in the hospital is intranet, which is a common network is used by the staffs of the hospital. This is used to post information to the staffs and the doctors. It is efficient because each and every department is connected in this intranet. The communication is instantaneous and the staffs can respond immediately. External communication is implemented to communicate with the people who are not directly connected with the hospital. Patients and general public are the people to whom the hospital would communicate. The hospital must implement communication tools that convey the information in an easier and effective way. As the information can be sent immediately and the reply is prompt, electronic communication is the most sought after modes of communication. Communication Tools There are numerous communication tools that are effective in interpreting the information to the intended user. Website The aim of the website is to inform the public about the services offered by the hospital. The information in the website is updated regularly to make sure that the current happenings in the hospital are made available to the general public. (Brill, 2002). This includes interactive features where the patients and users can register their queries for which they will get a response within a short period of time. E-Mail This is one of the most effective communication mechanisms since it reaches the patients in a jiffy. Any private information pertaining to a particular patient can be intimated by using e-mail. Right from intimating the patients about their appointments, treatment dates, post operative care and regular check up dates can be intimated. The rate of accessibility is more when compared to other modes of communication. As a management consultant, I must consider the quality and effectiveness of the electronic communication used in the hospital. This can be carried out by interacting with the patients and the people involved in the communication department of the hospital. Effectiveness of Electronic Communication It is popular due to its efficiency and ease of use. The effectiveness of electronic communication determines the important aspect - the support feature of a hospital. The communication between people has gone through a drastic change due to the introduction of electronic communication. The benefits of electronic communication have led to the implementation of electronic communication in almost all types of industries. Clarity The clarity of information is one of the most beneficial aspects of electronic communication. The electronic mail, one of the widely used electronic communication tool conveys the intended information in much easier manner. The subject part of the message provides the reason for which the communication has been sent. The main part of the information is included in the body of the message. It includes the entire information which gives the clear picture of the information. Easy Access The users can access the information any time throughout the day. The hospital authorities can be sure of intimating the patients, since easy accessibility is the major aim of an electronic communication device. (Brill, 2002) E-mails can be accessed even when the patient or the user is out-of-station. This ensures that the information is passed on to the user whenever necessary. The needs to depend on other modes are completely eradicated. Privacy The information about a patient must be stored in a secured environment and the privacy of data becomes a matter of concern. The information pertaining to a particular patient must not be revealed to any other person. The hospital must use a medium which aims at providing data privacy and security. The benefits of electronic communication increase the probability of their usage and state the reason as to why people prefer electronic communication to other communication methods. Evidence Considered A survey was conducted among the general public and the patients of the hospital and it revealed that the hospital uses electronic mail to communicate with the patients. The survey conducted by Care Quality Commission reveals that the patients are not intimated in a proper manner. As the communication is carried out through e-mail, there is a chance of people not accessing them regularly. This creates problem since people do not get to know about the updates on their treatment. This is a great disadvantage and the hospital must incorporate certain strategies to improve this situation. Analysis The quality and effectiveness of the electronic communication must be analyzed in order to determine the performance and the ways in which it helps the hospital. A set of criteria must be determined to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of communication. (Care Quality Commission, 2008). Relevant Communication The hospital authorities must incorporate relevant communication tools that assist them in interacting with the patients. They must implement methods that intimate the patient in an easier and fast manner. Though the communication method used in the hospital seems to be satisfying, there are certain flaws that minimize the advantages. Communication Pattern The pattern of communication determines whether they are appealing to the user and the public. The communication must be in an interesting way and it should convey the information in a simple pattern which is easier to understand. Even though website provides complete information about the hospital, the patients find it difficult to get information pertaining to particular treatments. The communication pattern must include features to provide information on a specific topic that the user requests. Coherent Communication The information must be coherent and integrated with the aspects of various services provided by the hospital. Each and every detail specified in the website or e-mail must have a connection with the entire website. In this way the user can be sure of getting proper information. The communication patterns determine whether the communication method is effective or not. The communication pattern followed in the hospital is analyzed to find out the flaws so that the hospital authorities can resolve them in order to serve the people in a better way. Conclusion This report describes the communication methods that yield more benefits to the organization. The communication tools and mechanisms must be modified to suit the needs of the hospital and the patients. As a management consultant, I would suggest the hospital to develop a website that is user friendly. By doing this, the hospital can cater to the needs of all types of people. Recommendations The hospital must incorporate interactive communication mechanisms that help the patient to have a complete outlook on the services provided by the hospital. If a patient wants to know about a treatment which is not present in the website, the e-mail option must be enabled to help the patient interact with the specialist who deals with that particular treatment. This would certainly improve the hospital’s communication department. Another suggestion would be to improve the appearance of the website by including search option where the patient or user can search the information what they need. The hospital can also include an option which intimates them if the user has not read their mail. Once the hospital gets intimation, they can forward the same information to the patient’s mobile phone. This would certainly improve the efficiency of the communication system. References Flynn, N., 2007. Public Sector Management. 5th ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Brill, N., 2002. Working With People: The Helping Process. London: Allyn & Bacon. Care Quality Commission, 2008. Patient Survey: Barnet and Chase Hospitals NHS Trust. [Online]. Available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/_db/_documents/AF_NHS_inpatients_survey_2008_RVL_full.pdf [Accessed 20 December 2010]. Read More