[The Good Medical Department. The quality of patient information at the departments of internal medicine].
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence the quality of information given in medical departments and to examine the efforts made to ensure the quality and further improvement of this information. The study is part of the research project "The Good Medical Department".


METHODS
A total of 73 semi-structured interviews were carried out with patients, doctors, nurses and departmental managements. The medical records and nursing case notes were analysed.


RESULTS
The quality of information given correlates with the staff's knowledge of the period of hospitalization of their patients. Contact with various doctors and nurses results in patients perceiving statements as being divergent. Information is best communicated in a dialogue. The patients want detailed and written information. Documentation of given information in the medical records was scanty.


CONCLUSIONS
The outcome of this study indicates some areas that can contribute to ensuring the quality and improvement of patient information. Recent studies also describe lack of quality in these areas. It is a question of restructured planning, delegation of responsibility, documentation, written patient information, and training in communication skills.
D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D003718:Denmark; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D008499:Medical Records; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009737:Nursing Records; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Den Gode Medicinske Afdeling. Kvaliteten af patientinformation på medicinske afdelinger.