What are the results of poor communication skills?

• A. Increased efficiency and safety.
• B. Poor patient care, errors, conflict, and stress.
• C. Higher job satisfaction and teamwork.
• D. Improved patient outcomes.

Answer: (B)

Poor communication in healthcare undermines patient safety and care because critical information can be misheard, forgotten, or not shared during handoffs, leading to mistakes and delays. When team members aren’t clear about roles, expectations, or updates, errors increase, care becomes inconsistent, and stress and conflict rise as people struggle to coordinate. The combination of more errors, poorer patient care, heightened tension, and strained teamwork ultimately results in worse patient outcomes. Positive effects like increased efficiency, better safety, higher job satisfaction, or improved outcomes would come from effective communication, not from poor communication, which is why this option is the best answer.