Rather than focusing individually on patient satisfaction, efficiency, employee morale or patient safety, Caremunication emphasizes the way communication practices touch virtually every aspect of a health care organization’s success. Our holistic view of communication helps front-line staff understand the impact communication improvement will make on all parts of their jobs and the constituencies they serve.

Caremunication Curriculum and Participant Learning Objectives:

• State the benefits of improved communication for themselves, their patients and the organization
  
• Describe the C.A.R.E. model and apply the principles to typical health care situations.
  
• Explain the importance of proactive listening in facilitating good communication.
  
• Use techniques to achieve a “composed” state in which communication can occur most effectively.

• Using information from the online self-assessment, identify specific, individual improvement goals for a Personal Communication Improvement Plan.
• Identify strategies to achieve their personal communication improvement goals.
• Use “acknowledge” techniques to ensure understanding in any communication situation.

• Anticipate circumstances where patient care communication has the potential to break down, then develop strategies to improve accuracy.
• Apply specific techniques to enhance understanding and accuracy in all communication situations.

• Recognize and anticipate barriers to effective communication.
• Articulate and apply techniques to overcome communication barriers in a variety of situations.

• Explain the personal and organizational advantages of building short- and long-term rapport.
• Utilize techniques to enhance trust with patients, families, physicians and colleagues.

• Use techniques to make written communication more succinct, clear and understandable.
• Write and respond to email messages effectively, knowing when to communicate in person rather than electronically.
• Apply tips to write more clearly and effectively in all situations to enhance readability and understanding.

• Explain an overall framework for approaching any difficult conversation more confidently.
• Apply specific techniques to make difficult conversations easier and more successful.

• Describe specific behaviors and situations to focus on from the Personal Communication Improvement Plan.
• Apply the C.A.R.E. approach to a variety of professional and personal communication situations and challenges.
• Describe commitment to improving communication effectiveness in his/her personal and professional lives.