title: Audiologists' preferences for patient-centredness: a cross-sectional questionnaire study of cross-cultural differences and similarities among professionals in Portugal, India and Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patient-centredness has become an important aspect of health service delivery; however, there are a limited number of studies that focus on this concept in the domain of hearing healthcare. The objective of this study was to examine and compare audiologists' preferences for patient-centredness in Portugal, India and Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used a cross-sectional survey design with audiologists recruited from three different countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 191 fully-completed responses were included in the analysis (55 from Portugal, 78 from India and 58 from Iran).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PPOS mean scores suggest that audiologists have a preference for patient-centredness (ie, mean of 3.6 in a 5-point scale). However, marked differences were observed between specific PPOS items suggesting these preferences vary across clinical situations. A significant level of difference (p<0.001) was found between audiologists' preferences for patient-centredness in three countries. Audiologists in Portugal had a greater preference for patient-centredness when compared to audiologists in India and Iran, although no significant differences were found in terms of age and duration of experience among these sample populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are differences and similarities in audiologists' preferences for patient-centredness among countries. These findings may have implications for the training of professionals and also for clinical practice in terms of optimising hearing healthcare across countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.|Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linnaeus Centre HEAD, The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Vinaya
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1254-8407
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manchaiah
authors.affiliation: Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gomersall
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tomé
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Tayebeh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Rajalakshmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krishna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001298:Audiology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D011174:Portugal; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: International health services < HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT; MEDICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING