Organizational Communication Commons^™

Staff Matters: Do I Really Need An Employee Handbook?, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article underscores the importance of having an employee handbook for even small practices. It emphasizes the handbook as a crucial tool for communicating expectations, providing a defense against employment claims, and ensuring legal compliance. The author advises on essential policies related to legal requirements, "At-Will" status, conduct, compensation, benefits, communication, attendance, and discipline. The article stresses the significance of well-crafted policies to avoid confusion and legal liabilities, recommending professional review before implementation.

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

What Now: The Role Of Attitude And Communicative Actions When Making Decisions During A Disease Crisis, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Lauri Baker, Angela B. Lindsey, Lisa K. Lundy, Ricky Telg

Journal of Applied Communications

During a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations often communicate about a risk to encourage people to take particular protective actions, and the decision-making process about protective actions can be especially complex. It is important to determine how organizations can encourage specific behaviors and, as such, this study sought to investigate how attitudes and communicative actions influenced behavior related to recommendations from the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the purpose of this study, an online quantitative survey was distributed to United States residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from this study reveal that attitude and transmission and …

Be A Leader In Your Practice: What’S Your Style?, William Chase Dds, Maom

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In this Leadership Development feature, the author draws from a wealth of leadership experience in Rotary to explore the importance of leadership in dentistry. Emphasizing the need for self-evaluation through emotional intelligence, the article delves into five key aspects: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. The author introduces three leadership styles — Transformational Leadership, Situational Leadership, and Servant Leadership — highlighting their characteristics and benefits. Encouraging readers to adopt diverse leadership styles, the piece underlines the significance of effective leadership in dental practice, community engagement, and organized dentistry.

Staff Matters: Holiday Celebrations That Engage And Appreciate Employees, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This Staff Matters column addresses a dentist's concerns about organizing inclusive end-of-year holiday celebrations for the staff. The response emphasizes the importance of recognizing diverse religious practices and fostering camaraderie. Suggestions include a themed recipe exchange, outdoor activities, community service, or involving staff in event planning. Emphasizing the need for initial guidance to align with goals, the column encourages inclusive celebrations that contribute to staff satisfaction, retention, and a positive workplace atmosphere.

Global Child And Family-Centered Care Fellowship, Education And Mentorship For Pediatric Healthcare Professionals: A Literature Review, Ashley Zheng, Bobbijo Pansier

Patient Experience Journal

Child- and family-centered care (FCC) is increasingly accepted and implemented to optimize the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and healthcare professionals. Standish Foundation for Children, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has designed and piloted a fellowship to educate pediatric healthcare professionals in FCC & psychosocial care via an inquiry and mentorship model in Tbilisis, Georgia. This review aimed to evaluate and synthesize existing literature on psychosocial and FCC mentorship for pediatric healthcare professionals in four parts: ongoing need, effects on healthcare professionals, effects on children and their families and/or caregivers, and in cross-country healthcare settings. Reviewers searched open-source databases for articles …

Staff Matters: The Value Of Using Total Compensation Statements, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Amid the challenges of a competitive job market and employee retention, offering a comprehensive view of compensation is crucial. While employees often focus solely on their direct wages, they may overlook the value of indirect benefits like healthcare and paid time off. Employers can bridge this gap by providing total compensation statements detailing direct and indirect compensation, demonstrating their investment in employees. Such transparency builds trust and allows employees to assess their compensation relative to other employers better. Employers should ensure consistent calculations and pay equity and emphasize the purpose of sharing this information to foster a positive work culture.

Staff Matters: More Tips For Hiring And Developing A Great Staff, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Addressing the challenge of hiring staff in the current job market, this Staff Matters column provides insights for dental practices. With a focus on creating an attractive work culture, the article suggests developing partnerships with educational institutions and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning opportunities. The author encourages practices to define key skills, establish clear expectations, and implement training processes for effective communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork. Emphasizing the role of ongoing coaching and mentoring, the column outlines the necessity of investing in training and development to build a skilled and cohesive dental team.

Staff Matters: Resolving Conflict Between Employees, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This Staff Matters column addresses workplace conflict arising from an employee's abrasive communication style, affecting collaboration and patient interactions. Acknowledging conflict as normal, the advice emphasizes addressing it promptly. Steps include talking to those involved, identifying themes causing conflict, and meeting with individual employees to discuss concerns, impact, and potential solutions. Considering external stress factors, the focus is on open, respectful, and confidential resolution. Building a strong practice culture is highlighted for enhanced employee and patient satisfaction.

Ada Trustee Report: Working To Make Each Member Feel Welcome, Michele Tulak-Gorecki Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

ADA 9th District Trustee Dr. Michele Tulak-Gorecki shares insights from the ADA Board Retreat, emphasizing the importance of communication, board culture, and fostering a welcoming environment for all members. Dr. Cesar Sabates, the new ADA president, encourages a spirit of love, respect, and cooperation, envisioning the ADA as a supportive family. The column highlights the significance of making every member feel truly welcome and part of something special. ADA Executive Director Dr. Ray Cohlmia's vision focuses on customer focus, global presence, innovation, sustainability, and nimbleness, with upcoming innovative changes in ADA operations.

Inclusion Of The Mobility Impaired In Our Community: Ask First!, Jeffrey M. Heinz Dds, Msd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This DEI Series feature article provides a unique perspective on the inclusion of individuals with physical disabilities, focusing on mobility impairment, in the dental profession and community. The author, a paraplegic orthodontist, shares personal experiences and challenges, shedding light on the importance of considering physical disabilities in dental offices. Navigational difficulties in compliant yet wheelchair-unfriendly spaces are discussed, urging practitioners to have contingency plans. The article emphasizes the significance of etiquette in assisting individuals with disabilities, encouraging respectful communication and asking before offering help. Practical insights on dental chair usage and transfer assistance are provided, promoting a more inclusive environment …

Consumer Representative Experiences Of Partnership With Health Workers In Australia, Coralie R. Wales, Judith A. Lababedi, Alison Coles, Philip Lee, Emma Clarke

Patient Experience Journal

We examine the experiences of Consumer Representatives participating in consumer engagement activities across a public health service in NSW, Australia. A team of Consumer Representatives and staff members use a participatory, constructivist paradigm and a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to analyse ten interviews with Consumer Representatives over three years 2017-2019, and three focus groups in 2020. We explore these experiences and identify the linked contextual factors from their points of view. Consumer Representatives were prepared to invest their time, but they needed respect. “Respect” from a consumer perspective was being meaningfully included, supported and heard, and activities needed to be purposeful …

Connected: Using A Novel In-House Communication System To Efficiently Deliver Imaging Results, Daniel Greentree, Brendan R. Calhoun, Steven Farraher

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: The primary objective was to investigate the effectiveness of a fully staffed electronic communication system (1Connect) in delivering timely critical imaging results and incidental findings. The secondary objective was to evaluate the financial impact of this system on a radiology practice.

Methods: From January 2014 through June 2016, the 1Connect database was retrospectively reviewed and sorted by category of submission type: Critical (1-hour communication time), STAT (2 hours), or Unexpected finding (3 business days). The percent of successful communications completed within the appropriate time frame was calculated for each priority category and used as a measure of the system’s …

J Mich Dent Assoc June 2020

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Every month,The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association brings news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. No publication reaches more Michigan dentists!

In this issue, the reader will find the following original content:

• A cover story with an interview with the MDA’s 2020-21 president Dr. Stephen Meraw.
• “Implementing Teledentistry: The Why and How” discusses the background and guidance on this important – and growing – aspect of telehealth.
• “Key Tips in Communicating Evidence in the Clinical Setting”, another feature in our series of articles focusing on evidence-based dentistry. …

Implementing Inter-Professional Patient-Family Centered Plan Of Care Meetings On An Inpatient Hospital Unit, Nicolas Hernandez, Alice Fornari, Sage Rose, Leanne Tortez

Patient Experience Journal

Inpatient plan of care meetings support efforts to encourage collaborative practice and patient-family centered care and result in an effective strategy to enhance communication and patient satisfaction. Clinical team members participated in patient/family centered plan of care meetings at a community hospital in a selected inpatient unit with full time hospitalist physicians. Quantitative data were gathered pre/post implementation from the external Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers (HCAHPS) survey. HCAHPS data were collected independently, specifically for questions related to communication between patients, family members/guardians and the medical team and also the effects of care transition. There was a slow …

Health Literate Organizations: Are Clinical Trial Sites Equipped To Recruit Minority And Limited Health Literacy Patients?, Jennifer Livaudais-Toman, Nancy J. Burke, Anna Napoles, Celia P. Kaplan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background. Racial/ethnic minority patients are less likely than non-Latino white patients to participate in cancer clinical trials. A key barrier to participation is limited health literacy which is more common among minorities. At the organizational level, it is important that clinical trials sites become better equipped to recruit minority patients by expanding their organizational health literacy including language competency and outreach efforts. We explored the characteristics of clinical trial sites that are associated with these health literate behaviors.

Methods. We identified 353 breast clinical trials recruiting participants in 2006 from four states (California, Florida, Illinois, and New York) through the …

Commentary: Changing The Channel: Public Health Communication In The 21st Century, Anna Goodman Hoover

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This commentary asserts the need for research examining the use and efficacy of social media as a tool for meeting public health stakeholders’ information needs. The author points to several potential research questions for the field, situates studies addressing these questions within the PHSSR Research Agenda, and introduces the work of Harris et al. that is included in this issue of Frontiers. The commentary closes with a call for horizontal stakeholder communication that supports evidence-based decision-making.

Multistate Assessment Of Public Health Surveillance Relevant To American Indians And Alaska Natives, 2007, Jeanne Bertolli, Ed Chao, Michael Landen, Eden Wells, John M. Hayes, Zeenat Mahal, Ralph T. Bryan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Improving the health of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations involves multiple agencies, levels of government, and jurisdictions. We assessed collaboration between state health departments and AI/AN Tribes and agencies through an online survey of State Epidemiologists. Frequencies and percentages of responses were examined by univariate and bivariate analyses. Among 39 states with federally recognized or state-recognized Tribes or federally funded urban Indian health centers, 25 (64%) participated. Nineteen had discussed public health surveillance with an AI/ AN government or nongovernment entity in the past 2 years (10 (53%) of these had ongoing, regular discussions about public health surveillance; …

Conflict Management Education In Medicine: Considerations For Curriculum Designers, Jeffery Kaufman

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

It is important to address conflict in the medical field for a variety of reasons ranging from reducing turnover to increasing the quality of care received by patients. One way to assist with the management of medical conflict is by teaching resolution techniques to medical personnel. There is an opportunity for conflict management curriculum to address many of the issues facing physicians, administrators, staff and patients, however, it is also necessary for those developing that curriculum to understand the nature of the environment and appropriate conflict management tools to be used in that environment as part of the design process. …