Quality of internal communication in health care and the professional-patient relationship

• Published in: The health care manager Vol. 29; no. 2; p. 179
• Main Authors: March Cerdá, Joan Carles, Prieto Rodríguez, María Angeles, Pérez Corral, Olivia, Lorenzo, Sergio Minué, Danet, Alina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.04.2010
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Analysis of Variance; Attitude of Health Personnel; Communication; Cooperative Behavior; Decision Making, Organizational; Female; Humans; Interprofessional Relations; Linear Models; Male; Models, Psychological; Organizational Culture; Patient Satisfaction; Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; Professional Role - psychology; Professional-Patient Relations; Quality of Health Care - organization & administration; Socioeconomic Factors; Spain; Surveys and Questionnaires; Spain
• ISSN: 1550-512X
• DOI: 10.1097/HCM.0b013e3181da8b08

A study was undertaken for the purpose of describing internal communication and the professional-patient relationship and to establish a descriptive model of the interaction between these 2 variables. A nationwide survey was carried out in primary care and specialist care centers in Spain. A simple random sampling method was used with 1183 health care professionals. The data collection instrument was a Likert questionnaire that recorded information on the perceived quality of internal communication (0-100 scale), professional-patient relationships (0-100 scale), and sociodemographic variables. The results were analyzed using SPSS 15.0, performing mean comparisons and a suitable linear regression model.The total average of the quality of internal communication was 53.79 points, and that of the professional-patient relationships was 74.17 points. Sex made no statistically significant difference. Age shows that the older the participant, the better his/her opinion of internal communication and professional-patient relationships. Nursing staff had the highest opinion of internal communication and professional-patient relationships. The association between internal communication and professional-patient relationship was positive (R = 0.45).It was concluded that continuous exchange of information among health care professionals, together with learning and shared decision making or a positive emotional climate, is an element that will consolidate good professional-patient relationships and ensure patient satisfaction.