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

Health professionals' understanding of person-centred communication for risk prevention conversations: an exploratory study

Background: Health Professionals are required to balance care practices against patient risk to optimise safety. Communicating clinical risk with the patient requires confidence.Objective: The objective was to explore health professionals understanding and confidence of patient-centred communication during conversations of risk prevention.Design: An exploratory study was conducted.Methods: Nurses, physiotherapists and social workers in a metropolitan hospital in Sydney (New South Wales, Australia) completed face to face interviews (n = 16) regarding person-centred communication and clinical risk.Results: The sample was predominately female and had been a health profession for 11.5 years (mean). Six key themes were generated including: Perceptions of person-centred communication; Preparing for person-centred communication and Understanding and prioritising conversations about preventable clinical risk.Conclusions: Person-centred communication was embedded in clinical practice; the 'patient voice' was considered central. Clinical risk was a priority. Education to improve communication was highlighted as a way to enhance person-centred communication.

[Emotional climate and internal communication in a clinical management unit compared with two traditional hospital services]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to compare the emotional climate, quality of communication and performance indicators in a clinical management unit and two traditional hospital services.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Quantitative study.

INSTRUMENT

questionnaire of 94 questions.

PARTICIPANTS

83 health professionals (63 responders) from the clinical management unit of breast pathology and the hospital services of medical oncology and radiation oncology.

ANALYSIS

descriptive statistics, comparison of means, correlation and linear regression models.

RESULTS

The clinical management unit reaches higher values compared with the hospital services about: performance indicators, emotional climate, internal communication and evaluation of the leadership. An important gap between existing and desired sources, channels, media and subjects of communication appear, in both clinical management unit and traditional services.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical management organization promotes better internal communication and interpersonal relations, leading to improved performance indicators.