Patient Provider Communication

Patient-Provider Communication Network

USSAAC is proud to be a supporter of the Patient Provider Communication Network. This network is a national and international effort to promote information sharing, cooperation and collaboration among individuals who are committed to seeking improvements in patient-provider communication across the entire health care continuum--from a doctor's office, emergency room, clinic, ICU, acute care and rehabilitation hospital, home health service and hospice. The group also addresses preparing individuals with communication challenges for future medical encounters.

Participants bring together a range of perspectives and experience with an interprofessional focus. The group works to share knowledge and resources and to raise awareness at both practice and policy levels in an effort to overcome existing communication barriers. The aim is to increase communication access across health care settings in ways that benefit patients, their family members, providers and health care institutions.

The Patient-Provider Communication Forum seeks to achieve shared learning about patient-provider communication through:

• bi-monthly conference calls among forum participants
• an interactive website and social media accounts for sharing resources and tools
• collaborative projects such as resource provision, position papers, presentations, and research studies that intersect across areas of interest
• shared conversations about a range of topics, such as setting up a patient centered communication program in a hospital, emergency preparedness for people with access and functional needs, communication access in intensive care units (ICUs), cultural humility, patient-centered care, and patient safety
• information about specific populations and/or healthcare settings
• information about how speech-language pathologists and other professionals can help prepare their patients/clients for future medical encounters

The PPC Forum is an interprofessional group. It is open to anyone interested in the array of communication issues that occur between patients and providers. To join, complete the form at https://www.patientprovidercommunication.org/the-ppc-forum/how-to-become-a-participant/