Risks of Miscommunication and Customer Service

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The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Communication Basics for Laboratory Leaders. Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

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Risks of Miscommunication and Customer Service

The two case scenarios from the previous slide are examples of how miscommunication can result in patient safety events either actual or near misses. They also represent how miscommunication can affect how the laboratory is viewed for its customer service.
Take the first case scenario. Because the system in place to communicate a patient's phlebotomy refusal failed, the provider had to reorder the blood draw and wait additional time for the results, thus delaying the treatment for the patient. Not only does this pose a risk to the patient's care, but it gives the provider, and possibly the patient's family, a poor reflection of the quality of the laboratory's service.
In the same way, case scenario 2 may cause the nurse and doctor to question the reliability of the laboratory's service. They may question if the correct information was given for the correct patient.
Let's look at another case scenario.
Case Scenario 3
A provider calls the Laboratory Support department to find out what the correct tube type is for a sendout test. Unfortunately the Laboratory Support tech gave the wrong information to the provider. It wasn't realized until the specimen was received for testing that the sendout test needed a different tube type. The test had to be canceled, the provider had to be notified, and the patient had to receive an additional blood draw.
It is easy to see how this case scenario can cause the provider to mistrust the information they receive from the laboratory. In addition, it required the patient to undergo an additional unnecessary blood draw.