Questions & Feedback in a Healthcare Setting
A Small Bite for Partners in Care: Communicating Clearly, Concisely, and Consistently from Both Sides of the Bedside
Communication in a Healthcare/Care/Professional setting is nuanced, and is often wrought with mis-communication.
Miscommunication — a failure to communicate adequately (Google, 2025)
Clear communication relies on both the message sender and the message recipient giving and receiving the whole message, as it was intended, and as timely as necessary. The best communicators are clear, concise, and consistent. It seems that one of our greatest opportunities to improve care on both sides of the bedside is by looking closely and how we communicate.1
In this Small Bite, I cover Asking Good Questions and Communicating Clearly by addressing:
Some nuances of verbal and written communication
How to ensure a message was sent/received correctly (clear, concise, & consistent)
Avoiding miscommunication or misunderstandings:
Keep it short & sweet — SBAR format or bullet-point facts
Avoid placing blame or shame in a message; Seek to understand or inform
Use repeat-back/teach-back and ask clarifying questions
Don’t assume the tone of a written/typed message — read it like your favorite auntie, dear friend’s mom, favorite sister is sending/receiving this message.
Don’t make assumptions: communicating the urgency helps the receiver gauge how quickly to respond:
Can it wait? Non-urgent or Routine
Is there a deadline? Time-sensitive
Is an immediate response required? Urgent
Escalate when needed — if it can wait, let it. If it can’t wait, wave a yellow flag (send another message, make a phone call) before it becomes a red flag (an urgent or emergent situation that can’t be handled at home).
There are so many reasons and ways to communicate with Healthcare providers and it can be hard to know what’s urgent and what isn’t. If you’re unsure, just ask! “I don’t know if this is urgent, but I’m trying to decide if…”. The folks on the other side of the bedside are caring professionals for a reason. We care to help you figure it out.
This poll will help guide which topics to cover in a future Small Bite. Feel free to suggest something that interests you in the comments below!
Take good care!
Love,
Jessie
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