December Site of the Month: Patient-Provider Communication

Doctor appointments, feeding tube placement, ear check, blood pressure, suctioning, IV medication, oxygen through a nasal cannula, trach changes, blood work

No matter what the age or type of disability, almost all AAC learners face the challenge of communicating effectively during encounters with healthcare professionals. People with AAC needs are among those who are considered to be communication vulnerable and do best when there are planned supports in place. The Patient-Provider Communication (PPC) website hosts projects and resources to improve interactions between people with communication challenges and their healthcare providers. It is also the online home to a group of professionals across the globe who share information and collaborate to improve communication at physician offices, clinics, emergency rooms, acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, intensive care units, home health services, and hospice facilities. It is funded by the Central Coast Children’s Foundation and directed by AAC pioneer Dr. Sarah Blackstone and Harvey Pressman, who work tirelessly to support this work around the world.

Here are some of the resources to explore on this wonderful site.

• Communication Tools including,
  • Eye gaze boards 
  • Supports for various medical procedures 
  • Yes/No and alphabet boards 
  • Over a dozen presentation handouts 
• An annotated bibliography 
• Newsletters like this one on Communication Supports for Medical Encounters 

Looking for more information about how to help healthcare providers and facilities improve communication? Check out Patient-Provider Communication: Roles for Speech-Language Pathologists and Other Healthcare Professionals and a webinar on this topic.