Action 2.07

Do not assume that clinicians have all the interpersonal or communication skills required to effectively partner with patients in their care. It is important to develop clinicians’ skills so that they feel confident about approaching consumer partnerships.

Education and training may include:

• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Techniques for shared decision making
• Awareness of individual health literacy and the health literacy environment.

Education and training can be developed by the organisation, in partnership with consumers (see Action 2.14). Alternatively, several established clinician education and training programs support engagement with consumers, including:

• The Health Issues Centre and other state-based health consumer organisations that provide consumer engagement training for clinicians
• The NSW Clinical Excellence Commission Partnering with Patients program Patient Based Care Challenge, which can be adopted as a training tool
• The Point of Care Foundation’s Patient and Family-Centred Care toolkit, which provides a step-by-step method to help clinicians understand the importance of partnering with consumers
• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Communicating to Improve Quality Strategy, which provides a PowerPoint presentation and handout on communication competencies for clinicians
• The Australian Institute for Patient and Family Centred Care clinical education play Hear Me.

Do not assume that clinicians have all the interpersonal or communication skills required to effectively partner with patients in their care. It is important to develop clinicians’ skills so that they feel confident about approaching consumer partnerships.

Education and training may include:

• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Techniques for shared decision making
• Awareness of individual health literacy and the health literacy environment.

Day procedure services may not have the capacity to develop an education and training program for clinicians. If the service is part of a larger, networked group, see whether the wider group provides any training opportunities.

Alternatively, day procedure services can source training through established clinician education and training programs that support engagement with consumers, such as:

• The Health Issues Centre and other state-based health consumer organisations that provide consumer engagement training for clinicians
• The NSW Clinical Excellence Commission Partnering with Patients program Patient Based Care Challenge, which can be adopted as a training tool
• The Point of Care Foundation’s Patient and Family-Centred Care toolkit, which provides a step-by-step method to help clinicians understand the importance of partnering with consumers
• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Communicating to Improve Quality Strategy, which provides a PowerPoint presentation and handout on communication competencies for clinicians
• The Australian Institute for Patient & Family Centred Care clinical education play Hear Me.

Clinicians working in day procedure services, such as credentialed medical and other practitioners, may also work for other health service organisations, and may have access to education and training through these organisations. In these circumstances, it may be enough to request evidence of the completion of such training. These clinicians may also feel well equipped to provide peer-to-peer training to other members of the workforce.

Examples of evidence

Select only examples currently in use:

• Policy documents for partnering with consumers in their care, including policies on communication and interpersonal skills, shared decision making and health literacy
• Training documents about partnering with consumers in their care and shared decision making
• Audit results of healthcare records to identify the involvement of clinicians and patients in developing a plan of care, including coordinated care meetings
• Analysis of feedback data from the workforce about partnering with consumers in their care.

Do not assume that clinicians have all the interpersonal or communication skills required to effectively partner with patients in their care. It is important to develop clinicians’ skills so that they feel confident about approaching consumer partnerships.

Education and training may include:

• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Techniques for shared decision making
• Awareness of individual health literacy and the health literacy environment.

MPSs or small hospitals that are part of a local health network or private hospital group should adopt or adapt and use the established education resources to train the workforce to form partnerships with patients and carers.

Small hospitals that are not part of a network can gain access to training through established clinician education and training programs that support engagement with consumers, including:

• The Health Issues Centre and other state-based health consumer organisations that provide consumer engagement training for clinicians
• The NSW Clinical Excellence Commission Partnering with Patients program Patient Based Care Challenge, which can be adopted as a training tool
• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Communicating to Improve Quality Strategy, which provides a PowerPoint presentation and handout on communication competencies for clinicians