Four Tips for Communicating with Other Departments

Perioperative personnel rely on team members from other departments and services, such as radiology, laboratory, environmental services, nutrition services, medical records, and respiratory services, to provide specific patient-centered care needs. The professionals working in these departments rely on information and data from perioperative personnel to provide services that can contribute to positive patient outcomes; this data and information can include patient identification (such as name, date of birth, social security number, facility account number), room number/location, laboratory and diagnostic tests needed, and nutrition/diet status (eg, NPO, gluten free, carbohydrate counts). These departments need correct information to be communicated to prevent and decrease waste, delays, and errors; as such, clear and concise communication between the perioperative setting and other departments is a skill to develop and incorporate into daily practice. 

Communication Errors 

Communication errors do happen, which can lead to negative patient outcomes. For example, if a verbal order for a “red blood cell count” communicated quickly via telephone to the laboratory is misinterpreted as “complete cell count,” it could lead to a delay in a diagnosis or to a misdiagnosis. Online/intranet ordering systems, which can be used to communicate the need for a specific supply or item to central supply services, also can present communication challenges. For example, these intranet order systems may use product item names that are different from the names used in the perioperative environment; therefore, an item selected from the online system may be the incorrect item once it arrives. This can lead to frustration and delays in both departments.  

Four Tips to Improve Communication 

Here are four tips to begin improving communication with other departments. 

1. When calling another department, always identify yourself and the department or location where you are working (eg, PACU, OR A, main OR desk); for example, “This is Sara, and I am a registered nurse calling from operating room A.” The person answering the telephone may not be expecting a call or know who is calling, so identifying yourself will assist in communicating clear information and can set the tone for the conversation. Immediately listing the items needed or yelling “STAT” as soon as the telephone is answered will give the person answering a sense of frustration or confusion.  

2. If using a telephone to call another department, speak clearly and slowly. Environmental noises, such as music, equipment, and instruments, and wearing a mask can reduce the clarity and volume of your voice. Be aware of your how your voice sounds; for example, if you are experiencing a stressful situation, your tone, rate, and volume may be perceived as escalated. In these situations, take a deep breath and try to calm your voice prior to calling. 

3. Provide the person in the department with as much information as needed or required by facility policy and protocol. This information may be department-specific; for example, the biomedical engineering department does not need the same information as nutrition services. If you are unsure about what information is needed, ask your preceptor, charge nurse, or nursing supervisor for guidance or assistance. You also can ask the department you are calling during the conversation; if you do not have the necessary information, follow up with them after you obtain it. 

If you do not know how to contact another department, such as if they should be called or paged, speak with your preceptor, direct-report supervisor, or manager to learn the correct protocol for contacting and communicating with other departments. Some facilities use electronic communication systems, such as intranet pages, pagers, mobile phones, email, or handheld transmitters and receivers (or walkie-talkies). Facility protocols specific to these communication systems should be followed; for example, if using an email system, you may need to use an encrypted email to transmit sensitive patient information.  

4. Communicate and confirm with the department when an item is needed or an action needs to be completed (or ask when it will be possible to provide or complete). For example, when a physician requests a portable abdominal x-ray during a procedure before skin closure, communicate to the radiology department the patient's name, the location where radiology needs to bring the portable x-ray device, the type of radiology test needed, and the approximate time needed (eg, immediately, 30 minutes, will call).  

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