Proposed Requirements to Advance Communication

• 7/23/2009
• Author: Janet Pimentel
• Category: The Source Blog
• 24812 Views
• 0 Comments
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Anyone with loved ones who are learning English or have a hearing or speech problem knows how difficult it can be for that person to communicate well with a doctor or nurse. My grandfather spoke only Spanish and always needed someone to accompany him to the doctor’s office to make sure his thoughts and symptoms were communicated properly. Something so simple to us was terrifying for him to do by himself. That’s why I’m personally glad that The Joint Commission is proposing accreditation requirements to help hospitals better address effective communication, cultural competence, and patient-centered care.

Some of the proposed requirements include the following:
• Staff participating in education and training that address how the culture of the patient population can affect patient care
• The hospital providing language access services and auxiliary aids
• The hospital providing translated vital documents such as for informed consent, release of information, patient rights, and patient education in the language most commonly used by its patients

Although many aspects of effective communication, cultural competence, and patient-centered care are currently supported by existing requirements, the new proposed requirements have the potential to further improve the safety and quality of care for all patients. I encourage you to take a look at these proposed requirements and provide your feedback. The Joint Commission has extended the deadline for field review until July 31. At the earliest, these requirements could go into effect in January 2011, but your feedback now could make a difference in how they turn out.