title: Quality of internal communication in health care and the professional-patient relationship.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Andalusian School of Public Health, 4th Cuesta del Observatorio, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan Carles
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: March Cerdá
authors.forename: María Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Prieto Rodríguez
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pérez Corral
authors.forename: Sergio Minué
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Danet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015279:Organizational Culture; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires