Introduction: communicating for quality and safety

In this introductory chapter, we talk about why communication is so important in health care. Indeed, we believe that communication is central to safe and good quality health care. We know that for many people communication is something we do naturally. It is taken as given, and not considered worthy of very much attention. People may also think there are more urgent things to worry about, such as technical precision, clinical knowledge and professional skills. Communication has been defined in different ways. A recent NHS document defines communication in these terms: Communication is a process that involves a meaningful exchange between at least two people to convey facts, needs, opinions, thoughts, feelings or other information through both verbal and non-verbal means, including face-to-face exchanges and the written word. (National Health Service, 2010) The above definition of communication suggests that communication takes place face-to-face, non-verbally and in writing. We know, however, that communication also increasingly relies on information and communication technologies (ICTs). ICTs harness all kinds of visual and numerical information, as well as language.