Doctor-Patient Communication in Surgery

Abstract

Summary: The efficiency of communication between junior hospital doctors and 77 general surgical patients was assessed by using standardized questionnaires before and after the doctor/patient interview on both the patient and the house doctor. Patients were better informed about their illness than their surgery, and doctors wrongly estimated patients' knowledge in 41% of cases. Self-reported preoperative anxiety of patients was low and was estimated wrongly by house doctors in 58% of cases. In 52% of cases house doctors were considered by patients to be the most important source of information, but patients had little comprehension of the seniority of other doctors. Although 60% of patients were satisfied with the communication, the majority complained of lack of information concerning convalescence, postoperative pain and routine ward procedures. IntroductionDespite major advancements in medical knowledge and technology, difficulties of communication remain a serious problem. Research into communication in medicine suggests that the failure to resolve these difficulties can be partly attributed to doctors (Pellegrino 1976, Francis et al. 1969, Reinhard 1974. The medical profession appears to be content with its ability to communicate with patients and seems unaware of existing problems.Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits for doctors and patients which can be attained by improving communication (Reading 1979, Schmitt & Wooldridge 1973, Langer et al. 1975. In surgery, it has been suggested that effective communication can reduce postoperative complications and analgesic requirements, thus effecting earlier discharge. This study was undertaken to evaluate communication in a surgical setting and to assess the satisfaction of doctors and patients with the present level of communication.

Challenges in Outcome Measurement: Discrepancies Between Patient and Provider Definitions of Success

“…The staff responsible for obtaining consent from the patient can also contribute to skewed patient and provider expectations. The most common cause of medical litigation is inadequate doctor-patient communication, often resulting from inaccurate or misleading information provided by junior staff [57,58]. A study by Soin et al [64] identified a large discrepancy between the responses of senior and junior members of a surgical team when asked to estimate the mortality rates of elective procedures.…”

Patients' misunderstanding of common orthopaedic terminology: the need for clarity

“…1 It has been suggested that effective communication in surgery can reduce postoperative complications and analgesic requirements, resulting in earlier discharge. 2 Nonetheless, there is overwhelming evidence that communication between doctors and patients in all specialties is frequently overburdened by scientific jargon and complex medical phrases resulting in confusion and misunderstanding by the patient. 3 Studies have shown that patients have poor understanding of medical terms used by doctors in various specialties.…”

“…8 To compound this, studies show that doctors wrongly overestimate patients' knowledge in as many as 41% of consultations; this has been shown to be true of both medical and surgical disciplines. 2,9,10 Reduced levels of attention associated with illness and stress during a consultation only adds to patients' poor understanding.…”

Patient education: interpretation of medical terms as a key part of diabetes mellitus treatment

“…Кроме того, в ряде исследований было показано, что врачи отчасти склонны переоценивать уровень медицинской грамотности своих пациентов [18][19][20]. Достижение пациентом целевого HbA 1c может дать врачу ложное представление о том, что пациент лучше ориентирован в своем заболевании и в диалоге с ним можно использовать более сложный медицинский язык, не объясняя значения медицинских терминов.…”