EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH PATIENTS: THE NEW JOINT COMMISSION STANDARDS

Course overview

The Joint Commission in 2008, with funding from the Commonwealth Fund, began an initiative to advance the issues of effective communication, cultural competence and patient- and family-centered care in hospitals. The focus was to develop accreditation standards for the hospital program and create a report to help hospitals better meet patient needs. The result was the development of new and revised accreditation standards related to these concerns and the creation of a report titled "Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals," which provides methods for hospitals to begin or improve upon efforts to ensure that all patients affected by these issues receive the same high quality of care, regardless of health literacy, language, culture or ethnicity.