Summary of study session I 

In study session I you have learnt 

• Workplace ethics are codes of conduct that influence the development of ethical culture within the workplace 
• Work place ethics is the glue that holds organizations together. It is doing the right things the right ways by following policies and procedures 
• Unethical work practices affect the work process and the organization negatively: some examples include: unfair behaviour towards employees, abuse of cell phones and internet, calling in sick when not sick, taking gifts (bribe) from clients, theft of time , inappropriate relationships. 
• The 5 key points that every Ethics policy must have are :detailed and well defined in the form of a manual, provide training for new and current employees, use ethic policy for guidance, Ability to learn from mistakes and zero tolerance 
• The Steps towards better work ethics include: attendance, character , teamwork, appearance , attitude, productivity, organizational skills ,communication, cooperation, and respect. 
• Effective communication, which is timely, accurate, complete, unambiguous, and understood by the recipient, reduces errors and results in improved patient safety. 
• Elements of effective communication include: complete, concise, concrete, clear, and accurate 
• Factors that could contribute to communication failure in health care settings include: human factors such as ; attitudes, behaviors, morale, memory failures, stress and fatigue of staff, distractions and interruptions, shift changes, gender, social and cultural differences, hierarchy or power distance relationships, difference in training of doctors, nurses and paraprofessionals, time pressures and workload. 
• Sustainable improvements towards effective communication in healthcare settings involve synchronizing efforts across the three levels that is, the individual, the team and the organisation 
• Human factors, such as communication skills, fatigue and stress levels of staff, personality and attitudes, memory failures, and distractions and interruptions have been reported to influence the effectiveness of communication 
• Individuals can develop many useful skills, including assertiveness, active listening and negotiation as a means of improving communication in healthcare
• Effective team communication is essential in provision of health care to clients. 
• In critical work areas such as the operation theater, where there are different technical expertise and communication styles among members of multidisciplinary teams, communicating effectively is considered important if teams are to function optimally and ensure patient safety and quality of care