A study of provider-caregiver communication in paediatric ambulatory care

Provider-caregiver communication is a key ingredient in quality health care and patient safety, and effective communication has been shown to affect compliance and outcomes.

To identify and compare communication issues among three paediatric outpatient clinics.

In this prospective, qualitative study, a questionnaire was used to survey physicians, nurse practitioners and caregivers at three different infectious diseases clinics.

There was a statistically significant preponderance of families in the tuberculosis clinic for whom English was not the mother tongue and who were not fluent in English. Patients in the HIV clinic were less likely to be at their first appointment than were patients attending the other clinics. Patients in the general clinic were less likely to have been seen by the same physician on the previous visit. Parents from all three clinics were satisfied with the care they received, with communication and with rapport with their child. There was a trend toward parents in the tuberculosis clinic being happier with their clinic visit and less likely to complain about the wait time.

Language proficiency and lack of continuity of provider care were identified as potential risks for patient safety in the ambulatory setting. Further studies are necessary to identify language and cultural issues that may affect patient care in a tertiary paediatric hospital servicing a multiethnic population.