Spanning the boundaries to improve communication

Good communication skills are an integral component of public health nursing practice. The Quad Council's Core Competencies of Public Health Nursing (2003) highlights “communication” as one of the eight domains of competent practice, regardless of the setting. There are numerous barriers to communication, contextual and interpersonal. Failure to overcome these barriers results in ineffective dissemination of evidence and content, threats to good programmatic outcomes. Longest (2004) outlines a systematic process, called spanning the boundaries, which describes ways managers of health programs and projects can communicate effectively with external stakeholders. This model of scanning, tracking and disseminating, affects senders and receivers in communicating with external stakeholders. The presentation will apply and exemplify communication theories to structured and unstructured community environments. It will also suggest strategies and facilitative activities to overcome barriers, and promote data sharing between organizations. Spanning organizational boundaries enhances effective communication with external stakeholders and ultimately improves programmatic outcomes.