“Assessment of the Status of Communication in Hospital

Laboratories in Batangas City”

BS MLS _ 2ND YEAR

INTRODUCTION
 The success of an organization can be determined by the quality of work accomplished

by the unit. Since the term organization is often associated with coordination, communication in

this field is vital in every way. The ability to communicate enables the members of an

organization to ally significant to the operations that the unit will execute. However, this alliance

can be affected by outside factors that make communication incompetent. Every group and

association would be rendered inefficient if factors affecting communications were to be present.

Hospital laboratories are affected by communication gaps in the same manner

A healthy work environment is one in which there is an abundance of variables promoting

a better quality of work and outcome. It is essential because, without it, conflicts in the

laboratory would occur for all sorts of reasons. Most of the laboratory conflicts are due to the

lack of appropriate communication or just faulty collaboration (Tsang, 2018). The efficacy of the

role of communication in the laboratory depends on the factors affecting it. These factors may

vary from common misunderstandings during work operations to more personal scenarios in the

workplace. These external incitations can cause changes in the stature of communication within

the premises of the laboratory. The changes mentioned must not be too extreme for laboratories

to still be able to function and provide healthcare.

Scenarios like lack of personnel in laboratories can also be considered as a certainty to

further support this claim. Respectable communication can be considered as a solution to

adversities similar to this. Coordinated communication can be used to create effective work

output and sufficient task designation especially nowadays where health facilities especially

laboratories, are being challenged by this COVID – 19 crisis pandemic. We cannot ignore the

fact that laboratories are not on phase to accomodate the mass simultaneously for we are

aware that there are insufficiencies in our current health care system.Since, coordination is the

interrelation of functions, structures, and resources in an organizational context (Osifo, 2013),

the only thing to caught up with the health demand is through proper and smooth workflow
wherein communication is a vital factor. It must not be hindered at any cost to improve the

quality of work and create decent interpersonal chemistry among the health providers in the

laboratories. With this, the researchers were led to conduct a study and inquire about the status

of communication in hospital laboratories in Batangas City to provide a clear resolution about

the significance of communication in work fields pertaining to providing healthcare.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Communication in the laboratory is vital in providing quality patient care and improvement of

work quality. The main purpose of the study is to determine the quality of communication status

in hospital laboratories in Batangas City. The study aims to analyze components of the

communication system in laboratories if it needs improvement or not, in order to maximize work

output in the healthcare setting. Specifically, it aims to:

1. Determine the profile of the healthcare team on the laboratory in Batangas City as to:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Position in the laboratory.

2. Determine the strengths and weaknesses of laboratories in terms of communication.

3. Check the effectivity of laboratory’s communication system as per laboratory staff.

4. Analyze if the laboratory is to be subjected to change in communication system to

maximize the potential of the laboratory.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study would benefit the following:

1. To the Medical Technologists

This would serve as guidelines to come up with better workflow in a laboratory set up. It will help

in maximizing the turnaround time through awareness of communication hindrances within a

laboratory. It will also help them in pointing out which communication gap is needed to work on.

2. To the Chief Medical Technologists

With the awareness of the status of a communication system provided by this study, the chief

medical technologist can supplement a much better laboratory set up which then increases

laboratory output.

3. To other laboratory staffs and interns

This will serve as a guidebook for them to work with an awareness of communication set up in

the laboratory for them to do appropriate adjustments. This will dictate how they are going to act

within the laboratory with the continuance of good laboratory workflow.

4. Clinical pathologist

Through the substance of this study, Clinical pathologists can take necessary actions on what

the laboratory seems to be lacking, in accordance with communication. Commands and

instructions can still flow easily if there is awareness of what is the capacity of the laboratory’s

communication system.

5. National Agency for Health

This study will help them assess what was going on in the internal communications of a

laboratory. The research result can reveal if the current communication system of laboratories is

enough and will not hinder work output. This assessment would help in bringing corrective

actions and improvement plans on laboratories that highly needed so.

6. Future researchers
The study would be a source of reliable references for future researches in relation to medical

practice in a hospital laboratory.

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN

The descriptive method of research will be utilized in this study. The data that is beneficial

for the realization of the study is to be gathered through the use of survey questionnaires

prepared by the researchers. The survey questionnaires were specifically constructed to gather

information about the different aspects of communication present in a laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY

To determine the different factors affecting the role of communication in the hospital

laboratories, the researchers selected several hospital laboratories as respondents. With the

current crisis the community is facing, the researcher chose respondents through Convenience

Sampling. Medical staff from those laboratories will receive the survey questionnaires as a form

of data gathering. Involved in the people that survey will be given to are medical technologists,

medical technicians, phlebotomists, and laboratory nurses which are commonly situated only

inside the laboratory. The respondents of the survey will serve as the source of the information

needed to form the study

DATA GATHERING INSTRUMENT

 The researchers made use of survey questionnaires for the inquiry of data. The survey

questionnaire was made through a series of consultations with the adviser to come up with the

best format and best inquiry to satisfy the objectives of the research. The survey questionnaires

shall be approved and considered valid by the adviser.

Included in the survey questionnaire are the title of the study and the two parts of the

inquiry. The first part was allotted for the demographic profile of the respondent and the second

part comprised the questions that would help the researchers in determining the factors

affecting the role of communication in hospital laboratories in Batangas City.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

After the accomplishment of the survey questionnaires by the health workers, all are to be

collected, recorded and analyze. The responses from the survey questionnaires will be tallied to

form concrete data and each segment of the information will be given corresponding

interpretation. Numerical values gathered through the survey are to be treated statistically

through the weighted mean. Each numerical output corresponds to descriptors that will be used

to assess if the communication system in hospital laboratories in Batangas city is still efficient

and effective. The statistical software PASW will also be used by the researchers to further

analyze the results of the inquiry done.

 “Assessment of the Status of Communication in Hospital Laboratories in Batangas City”
QUESTIONNAIRE

Instructions: Please complete the survey below by marking Disagree, Strongly Disagree,
Agree, Strongly Agree, as well as the demographics.
Demographics:

I am 20-30 years old ________ I am 31-40 years old ________

I am 41-50 years old ________ I am 51-60 years old ________

Experience in the laboratory settings: Gender:

20+ years ______ Male: ________
11-20 years _____ Female: ________
5-10 years ______
Less than 5 years _____

Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
1. The current communication
channel in place in the
laboratory notifies
employees of changes in
the laboratory.
2. The current system of
notification is disabled there
is a well-known backup plan
for communicating with
employees.

3. Employees in our laboratory

are notified promptly with
much detail when changes
are taking place. (protocols)
4. The current forms of
feedback from the staff in
our laboratory are effective
in terms of convenient
communication methods.
5. Communication barriers
exist in our laboratory.
6. Communication barriers at
our laboratory are handled
 by analyzing staff’s
feedback.
7. Chief Medical Technologist
should have their internal
communication with the
medical technologists.
8. Our laboratory is concerned
in improving communication
with our colleagues.
9. Employee job satisfaction is
higher when employees feel
involved.
10. Poor communication is a
source of stress for
MedTechs.
11. Chief Medical Technologists
are better leaders when
communication lines are
open between them and
subordinates.
12. Every personnels of the
laboratory communicates
well with each other.
13. Our laboratory has a
laboratory communication
procedure that outlines
effective internal and
external communications.
14. We have regular staff
meetings at least once a
month.
15. The ideas, opinions, and
feedbacks of the
subordinates are
recognized.
16. Our chief medical
technologist values the
opinions of his/her
management.
17. We do regularly offer
constructive feedback to our
co-workers.
18. Our laboratory holds shift
communication meetings at
least daily.
19. Employees have expressed
to communication officers
the need to change the
current mechanism(s) for
notification.
20. The communication tools in
place are efficient and
effective.
21. Employees provided to
communication officers
examples of their preferred
method for receiving
organizational
communications.
 REFERENCES

Journal
Osifo, O. (2013). The effects of coordination on organizational performance: An intra and

inter perspective. Asian Journal of Business and Management, 1(4), 148. Retrieved

on April 28, 2020 from

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles_Osifo/publication/317717165_The_Eff

ects_of_Coordination_on_Organizational_Performance_An_Intra_and_Inter_Persp

ective/links/5950ded0a6fdccebfa6c75d3/The-Effects-of-Coordination-on-

Organizational-Performance-An-Intra-and-Inter-Perspective.pdf?

origin=publication_detail

Online References
Tsang, B. (2018). Lab Conflict and How to Address It. Retrieved on April 28, 2020 from

http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/03/09/lab-conflict-and-how-to-address-it/

Factors Affecting Communication (2016). Retrieved on April 28, 2020 from

https://www.scribd.com/document/330662516/Factors-Affecting-Communication

Effects of Poor Communication in Healthcare (2019). Retrieved on April 28, 2020 from

https://www.8x8.com/voip-solutions/healthcare/effects-poor-communication-

healthcare

Huang, L. (2019). Importance of Communication in Healthcare. Retrieved on April 28,

2020 from https://cipherhealth.com/importance-of-communication-in-healthcare/