Active Listening Skills for Healthcare Management: A Report

This report delves into the critical role of effective communication, particularly active listening, in healthcare management. It highlights how strategic communication designs are essential for the success of health programs and achieving improved patient outcomes. The report identifies ineffective communication and lack of active listening skills as major issues contributing to medical errors and patient harm. The objectives include understanding the importance of communication, developing effective communication skills, and emphasizing active listening in healthcare settings. The target audience comprises patients and healthcare staff. The report outlines communication strategies such as body language, a non-judgmental attitude, active responses, undivided attention, and acknowledgment. It provides a strategic communication plan with background, objectives, target audience, timeline, and implementation details. The report concludes by emphasizing how active listening skills help healthcare professionals make effective decisions and improve the overall quality of care, supported by references to relevant research.

Running Head: COMMUNICATION
Communication
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1COMMUNICATION
Current Situation
The strategic designs are considered to be the hallmark of the success of the health
programs. Collaboratively designed and evaluated communication strategies of health results
in the achievement of the target for improving health by facilitating social changes1. Planned
communication strategies provide soundness for the activities of health program and boost up
the power of the health program for reaching the success.
Project Objectives
One of the major issues in the context of healthcare management is ineffective
communication practices and lack of active listening skills that most of the time results in
medical errors and unintentional but serious harm to the patient. This paper will focus on the
importance of communication and skills related to effective communication, namely active
listening skills in the context of healthcare management in relation to issues like medical care
and patient injuries.
Communication Objectives
Active listening is one of the key strategies for an effective communication in the
field of healthcare2. This is because by allowing other individuals to speak, present their
perceptions without any hindrance or interruptions will enable them to express their views
more clearly. Furthermore, the objective of the communication is to form an idea that they
are being treated and considered respectfully and their views are important to the listener.
Active listening communication skills also help in identifying the requirements, interest, and
needs of another person. Furthermore, active learning also reveals agendas that are hidden.
1 Farmanova, E., Bonneville, L. and Bouchard, L., ‘Active offer of health services in French in Ontario:
Analysis of reorganization and management strategies of health care organizations’. The International journal of
health planning and management, vol. 33, no. 1, 2018, pp.194-209.
2 Amutio-Kareaga, A. et al.,‘Improving communication between physicians and their patients through
mindfulness and compassion-based strategies: a narrative review’. Journal of clinical medicine, vol.6, no. 3,
2017, pp.33.

2COMMUNICATION
By effective and active communication one can identify and understand the requirements for
attaining a solution.
Target Audience
The targeted audience for this project is the patient and the health care staffs in a
health care organization. Active communication skills are one of the important strategies that
are critical for the implementation of an effective care to the patient. It resembles the person
in care that he or she is important and is being cared; furthermore, it helps in establishing a
foundation of trust among the patient and the healthcare professional.
Communication Mix and Implementation
Strategic plans for the implementation of effective communication for improved
health care of the patient in the field of healthcare management are
The Body Language-In case of healthcare management, maintenance of eye contact and
responding at appropriate time resembles the active engagement towards the patient’s words.
Avoidance of cross arms and having an open posture gives a positive signal to the patient to
share their views and initiate communication3.
A non-judgmental attitude-Avoidance of interruptions and counterarguments tends to ruin
trust and stifle conversation. Active and deep concentration while listening to the issues of
the patient without personal judgments is one of the key strategies of active communication.
Active Response-Active response to active communication is dependable on trust, honesty
and deep understanding4. Furthermore clarifications of the patient’s message help in
exploring various viewpoints and enable the implementation of empathy and care towards the
patient.
3 Ranjan, P., Kumari, A. and Chakrawarty, A., ‘How can doctors improve their communication skills?’, Journal
of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, vol. 9,no. 3, 2015. pp. JE01.
4 Rouse, R.A. and Al‐Maqbali, M., ‘Identifying nurse managers' essential communication skills: an analysis of
nurses' perceptions in Oman’. Journal of nursing management, vol. 22, no. 2, 2014, pp.192-200.

3COMMUNICATION
Undivided Attention- Attention and open communication with the patient is the main factor or
the keystone towards good health care. Active listening with undivided and uninterrupted
attention helps in establishing trust in the relationship among healthcare professional and
patient and acts as a therapeutic technique
Acknowledgment and clarification- It is important since it helps in clearing up
misconceptions and understands the need of the patients. Active listening skills help the
health care professional to make effective decisions by understanding what the patient is
saying.
To summarize, a strategic communication plan in the context of a specific
communication strategy that is active listening within a health care organization is as
follows.
Background Objectives Target
Audience
Timeline Implementation
Health care
organization
Effective
communication to
improve health of
the patient
Patient 2 weeks Active listening,
undisrupted attention,
active response and
friendly nature
Health care
clinics and
hospitals
Good
communication
and understanding
to deliver high
quality services to
the targeted
patient in care
Other health care
professionals in
the hospital
8-10 days Collaborative nature
among the hospital
staff, respecting and
understanding each
other’s point of view,
giving suggestions or
taking opinions in case
of critical patient care.

4COMMUNICATION
References
Amutio-Kareaga, A. et al.,‘Improving communication between physicians and their patients
through mindfulness and compassion-based strategies: a narrative review’. Journal of clinical
medicine, vol.6, no. 3, 2017, pp.33.
Ems, L. and Gonzales, A.L.,‘Subculture-centered public health communication: A social
media strategy’. New media & society, vol. 18, no. 8, 2016, pp.1750-1767.
Farmanova, E., Bonneville, L. and Bouchard, L., ‘Active offer of health services in French in
Ontario: Analysis of reorganization and management strategies of health care
organizations’. The International journal of health planning and management, vol. 33, no. 1,
2018, pp.194-209.
Ranjan, P., Kumari, A. and Chakrawarty, A., ‘How can doctors improve their communication
skills?’, Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, vol. 9,no. 3, 2015. pp. JE01.
Rouse, R.A. and Al‐Maqbali, M., ‘Identifying nurse managers' essential communication
skills: an analysis of nurses' perceptions in Oman’. Journal of nursing management, vol. 22,
no. 2, 2014, pp.192-200.