“Family caregivers face complex care-related tasks and emotions while juggling personal and professional demands,” as stated in a research article on the impact of the family communication environment on burden and clinical communication in blood cancer caregiving.

Caregivers may need to get information and communicate concerns with different healthcare providers while also tracking symptoms, managing medications, relaying information to family members, and helping patients make decisions. Managing these responsibilities can become even more challenging when caregivers experience barriers to accessing information or communicating with the healthcare team. The research article examined 121 adult children caring for a parent with blood cancer and found that caregivers from families that communicated more openly reported less burden and better interactions with clinicians.

 

Understanding caregiver burden

Caregiver burden can include emotional stress, competing responsibilities, uncertainty, communication challenges, and the demands of coordinating care. More specifically, the study discusses adult children caring for a parent with blood cancer. It suggests that these caregivers may need to handle multiple treatments and their side effects, extended hospitalizations, and emergency department visits. They may also move closer to the patient, coordinate care with relatives, become involved in decision-making, and manage their own emotional responses.

Communication can either ease or intensify these responsibilities. When caregivers struggle to discuss care needs with relatives or communicate effectively with healthcare professionals, they may have fewer opportunities to obtain help or clarify important information. Conversely, using effective communication strategies can help give caregivers the support they need.

The researchers concluded that adult child caregivers whose families communicated more openly reported less caregiver burden, better clinical communication skills, and better perceived quality of clinical interactions.

 

Communication and caregiver burden

The study also mentions the family communication environment, including conversation orientation. The researchers describe conversation orientation as “the extent to which families openly communicate.” Families with a high conversation orientation value “the open exchange of ideas, discussion of complex topics” and shared family decision-making.

When caring for someone with a chronic illness, caregivers often have to discuss topics that are emotionally difficult, including symptoms, prognosis, treatment decisions, changing care needs, and future planning. Avoiding these conversations can make it more difficult for caregivers to understand what the patient needs or how they can help.

The study specifically found that avoidance can “confound caregivers' ability to help their parent as a co-decision-maker and add to feelings of emotional burden.” Furthermore, the researchers found significant relationships between family communication, social support, avoidance, and caregiver burden. More open family communication was associated with reduced caregiver burden through social support, as well as cancer communication openness and reduced topic avoidance.

The researchers observed that cancer topic avoidance was more strongly associated with caregiver burden than cancer communication openness. As the study explains, “Avoiding difficult health-related topics represents lost family support opportunities and inhibits caregivers' ability to provide care, which may heighten burden.”

While healthcare organizations cannot control how families communicate, they can avoid creating additional communication obstacles.

 

How HIPAA compliant email can help

Healthcare providers can use HIPAA compliant emails to send caregivers information when they need it. HIPAA compliant solutions, like Paubox email, are best for this type of interaction as they use advanced security measures to safeguard patients’ protected health information (PHI) during transmission and at rest.

Depending on the healthcare organization's communication workflows and the patient's permissions, secure email can support communication involving patients, caregivers, clinicians, and administrative staff.

For example, a provider can use a secure email to get the information needed to coordinate appointments or follow-up care. Like, when a cancer patient's caregiver needs to send medical records to multiple specialists for consultation. This keeps the patient's information confidential, so that only authorized individuals have access to it. Additionally, secure email can also streamline communication processes, leading to more efficient and coordinated care for patients.

These capabilities do not eliminate caregiver burden, but they can reduce some of the practical friction associated with managing health information. Regular HIPAA compliant emails can also support caregivers with written communication that caregivers can revisit when they have time.

For example, after an appointment, a healthcare organization may be able to send educational resources through a HIPAA compliant email workflow. Having information available in writing can make it easier for caregivers to review instructions and identify questions they may not have thought to ask during the appointment.

 

Helping caregivers communicate with clinicians

The study on the impact of the family communication environment on caregiving burden found that communication also affected caregivers' interactions with clinicians. More open family communication had indirect positive effects on caregivers' clinical communication skills through social support and reduced avoidance.

The researchers noted that caregivers from families with more open communication reported better communication skills with their parent's clinician. They also suggested that open communication may make people more comfortable seeking and exchanging support.

HIPAA compliant emails complement these communication skills, as they give caregivers a structured way to contact the healthcare organization. For some caregivers, replying to a secure email may also help them explain a concern and provide relevant context. For example, clarifying what follow-up steps are expected after treatment or who to contact about a particular administrative or clinical concern.

Healthcare organizations must have policies regarding appropriate use and response times, as secure email isn’t a substitute for emergency services. However, secure email can still be appropriate for non-emergency communication.

 

Supporting the exchange of social support

“Cultivating open [family communication environments] can facilitate support exchange, which can buffer caregiver burden,” the above-mentioned study explains. Caregivers from families with more open communication showed higher levels of social support, which was associated with reduced burden.

HIPAA compliant emails can directly help support the exchange of social support resources through information about support services, contact information for care coordination teams, information about counseling or social work resources, and links to relevant caregiver programs like respite care. These resources can improve communication between healthcare providers and patients' support networks, ultimately leading to better overall care and patient outcomes.

Moreover, healthcare providers must use HIPAA compliant emails to invite caregiver participation, asking about their caregiving duties, providing psychoeducational resources, and continuing to check on their well-being.

 

Avoiding technology that creates another barrier

Paubox email helps providers and caregivers avoid creating multiple accounts and remembering additional passwords associated with complicated patient portals. The platform also integrates directly into the organization’s existing workflows, so providers don’t have to learn any new technology.

More specifically, Paubox fits into existing email systems, like Gmail or Outlook, automatically encrypting outgoing emails without requiring any extra steps from the user. Its simplicity saves time for healthcare professionals and keeps patient information secure and compliant with HIPAA regulations.

This can help reduce communication avoidance, leading to better clinical communication and perceived quality of clinical interactions. For example, if an oncologist needs to send lab results to a patient, they can do so through their regular email system with Paubox so the information is protected. This way, providers don't need to have separate logins and passwords for different portals, streamlining communication and enhancing efficiency in healthcare settings.

 

Supporting family-centered care

The above-mentioned study’s findings show that communication technology is not the same as communication quality. A healthcare organization could implement secure email and still fail to support caregivers if messages are confusing, caregivers do not know who to contact, or legitimate concerns go unanswered.

Therefore, HIPAA compliant emails work best when they support family-centered communication. The researchers recommend greater attention to caregivers' communication environments. They also suggest that caregivers from less open families may benefit from support when having difficult conversations.

For example, providing training on effective communication strategies or offering resources for family counseling could help caregivers have challenging discussions and improve overall communication quality within the organization. Additionally, incorporating feedback mechanisms for caregivers' suggestions for improvement can also help support family-centered care.

Providers can also use HIPAA compliant emails to direct caregivers to social workers and support resources when appropriate. Like when a patient is facing a terminal diagnosis or when there are complex care decisions to be made, this can ultimately improve the quality of care provided to patients and their families. Providers can also use HIPAA compliant emails to direct caregivers to social workers and support resources when appropriate. For example, when a patient is facing a terminal diagnosis or when there are complex care decisions to be made, this can ultimately improve the quality of care provided to patients and their families.

Read also: How patient-centered communication improves patient outcomes

 

FAQs

What are HIPAA compliant emails?

HIPAA compliant emailing platforms, like Paubox, use encryption and other security measures, like access controls, to safeguard patients’ protected health information (PHI) from data breaches.

 

How do HIPAA compliant emails facilitate care coordination?

Providers can use HIPAA compliant emails for secure, timely, and efficient communication, ensuring patient information is shared quickly and safely, improving care coordination.

 

Can HIPAA compliant emails improve patient satisfaction?

Yes, providers can use HIPAA compliant emails to keep patients informed, improving their overall satisfaction with care.

Read also: How automated HIPAA compliant emails can increase patient satisfaction