RUNNING HEAD: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 1
In the healthcare world, effective communication is the key for any job well done. If the
communication isn’t there, not only could the consequences be detrimental to someone’s
survival, but also to your job. It’s terrible when there’s poor communication when a vast
majority of staff and patients speaks the same language, but effectiveness becomes dire when
there’s a foreign language involved. Image this, a Chinese patient, who cannot speak English,
comes in with a late stage of Cirrhosis and you notice she shows signs of inflammation. Her
chart is missing but she seems to be in a lot of pain and her doctor is in surgery, so you give her a
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like aspirin. She starts to experience kidney failure. Not
only could this be fatal, but the facility could be sued for negligence. Effective communication
really can save a life, and a job.
In the case of Alberto Mendez, who doesn’t speak English and has his 15-year-old
