The Nexus Between Physician-Patient Communication and Health Outcomes: Level of Patient Communication Satisfaction and Its Impact on Adherence in Ethiopian Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals

Abstract

Introduction This study aims at assessing the level of patient communication satisfaction and its impact on patient adherence among public hospitals in Ethiopia. Methods The study employed a cross-sectional design. Data were obtained using Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) and the Adherence to Refills and Medication Scale (ARMS) administered to 381 patients asking them to evaluate satisfaction with physician-patient communication and report their level of adherence respectively. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. Accordingly, the study used correlation, independent samples t -test, one-way ANOVA, and linear regression to show causal relationships among factors in physician-patient communication and their effect on adherence. Results The findings revealed that the total mean score for communication satisfaction was M = 2.69, showing that the majority of participants were dissatisfied with the physician-patient communication. Further, age and frequency of visits were significantly associated with communication satisfaction, while sex, place of residence, employment, educational level, and marital status failed to produce a systematic effect. The correlation between patient satisfaction with communication scores on the CAT questionnaire was significantly correlated with pharmaceutical adherence (ARMS score) (r = 0.316, p < 0.001), indicating that when patients were satisfied with communication, the level of adherence increased. The regression coefficient also showed that positive relationship was found between communication satisfaction and adherence (b = 1.85, t = 9.759, p < 0.05), indicating that with better quality of communication, the level of adherence also increased. Conclusion The majority of participants were found to be dissatisfied with the physician-patient communication. The more satisfied the patient is with communication the better their adherence.

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