A Systematic Review of the Health Worker-Patient Relationship in China

Abstract

BackgroundWith a surge of medical disputes in recent years, the health worker-patient relationship (HWPR) in China is presently in a tense situation. Meanwhile, consequent social problems have begun to emerge, such as the practice of defensive medicine and distrust between health workers and patients. Although many empirical studies about the HWPR have been conducted in China, no related systematic reviews have been found. This study can convey the general findings from China to other areas of the world.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of the HWPR and related determinants were conducted. Six databases were comprehensively searched for articles to include in the review, with no restrictions on language. Articles published between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2020 were included.ResultsAmong the 3,290 records initially identified, 11 studies met the selection criteria. A total of 96,906 individuals were included in the review. The meta-analysis indicated that health workers who were male (male vs. female, OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.42- 1.55), older (≤50 vs. >50, 0.86, 0.80-0.93), less educated (undergraduate or below vs. masters or above, 1.39, 1.21-1.60), working in a non-surgical department (surgery vs. other, 0.92, 0.88-0.96), and had a senior title (intermediate or below vs. senior, 0.77, 0.74-0.81) were more likely to be pessimistic about the HWPR or to encounter medical disputes. Patients who were rural residents (urban vs. rural, 0.92, 0.87-0.97), highly educated (below undergraduate vs. undergraduate or above, 0.75, 0.72-079), and had no medical insurance (medical insurance vs. no medical insurance, 0.77, 0.67-0.89) were more likely to be pessimistic about the HWPR or to encounter medical disputes. Furthermore, mutual trust could improve rapport between health workers and patients. The 25 other related factors were analysed and described using a narrative approach.ConclusionOn average, 55.73% of health workers consider the HWPR to be tense, which is higher than the proportion of patients who hold this view (33.7%). The HWPR was significantly associated with individual factors and socioeconomic factors of both health workers and patients, as well as factors related to the health worker-patient interaction. More targeted strategies should be developed to improve the HWPR.

The Influence of Human Resource Interactions on Loyalty with Patient Satisfaction as an Intervening Variable in Hospital X Surabaya

“…Human resource relations in hospitals are also related to the skills of officers in their fields (medical and non-medical) and good communication skills (Mao et al, 2020). Some aspects affect health communication between health workers and patients, namely empathy, control, trust, self-disclosure, and confirmation.…”