title: Checking the relationship between physicians' communication skills and outpatients' satisfaction in the clinics of Isfahan Al-Zahra(S) Hospital in 2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The quality of communication skills of health care providers has a significant impact on patient treatment consequences.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present research has been conducted to check the relationship of communication skills on the rate of patients' satisfaction in the clinics of one of the hospitals in Isfahan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The checking list was completed by the researcher in the clinics by using the comments of patients or their relatives. Sampling was performed by using the regular random sampling method.
  
  
  METHODS
  This research was a descriptive-analytical study. The used tool was a standard checking list for evaluating the patients' satisfaction and also the researcher-made checking list for the measurement of effective communication skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  The researcher-made checking list for the measurement of effective communication skills was confirmed by the experts with the face validity, structure, content, and reliability (α =87%). After visiting the patient by the physician, the mentioned list was filled by using the patients' comments, and the collected data was analyzed by SPSS software version 16 with calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient and α2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed that there was a significant relationship between the application of communication skills in the five areas of verbal, body language, effective communicating, establishment, patient privacy and patient participation, except for eye communication of the physician with patients' satisfaction (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the communication skills by physicians is associated with patients' satisfaction, and it is the cause of increasing the acceptance of the physician by the patient. Therefore, it is suggested that the opportunity to improve the communication skills should be provided in addition to clinical skills in continuing education programs for the medical community.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Administration, School of Management and Medical Information, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.affiliation: Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hedayat Allah
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Askari
keywords: Communication skills; physician; satisfaction; service recipients