title: Assessing patient perceptions of hospitalist communication skills using the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hospitalists care for an increasing percentage of hospitalized patients, yet evaluations of patient perceptions of hospitalists' communication skills are lacking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess hospitalist communication skills using the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of patients, age 18 or older, admitted to the hospital medicine service at an urban, academic medical center with 873 beds. Thirty-five hospitalists assigned to both direct care and teaching service were assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospitalist communication was measured with the CAT. The 14-item survey, written at a fourth grade level, measures responses along a 5-point scale ("poor" to "excellent"). Scores are reported as a percentage of "excellent" responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed 700 patient surveys (20 for each of 35 hospitalists). The proportion of excellent ratings for each hospitalist ranged from 38.5% to 73.5%, with an average of 59.1% excellent (SD=9.5). Highest ratings on individual CAT items were for treating the patient with respect, letting the patient talk without interruptions, and talking in terms the patient can understand. Lowest ratings were for involving the patient in decisions as much as he or she wanted, encouraging the patient to ask questions, and greeting the patient in a way that made him or her feel comfortable. Overall scale reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CAT can be used to gauge patient perceptions of hospitalist communication skills. Many hospitalists may benefit from targeted training to improve communication skills, particularly in the areas of encouraging questions and involving patients in decision making.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Darlene E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Ferranti
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Makoul
authors.forename: Victoria E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Forth
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rauworth
authors.forename: Jungwha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mark V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D020445:Hospitalists; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011361:Professional Competence; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires