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[Doctor-patient communication in the cathlab. How to deliver the news]
Marc-Alexander Ohlow1, Maria-Anna Secknus, Andreas Wagner
1Klinik für Kardiologie, Zentralklinik Bad Berka, 99437, Bad Berka, Germany. m.ohlow.kar@zentralklinik-bad-berka.de
Insights
Physician communication about coronary angiography results is often misunderstood by patients. Improving physician communication skills is crucial for better patient comprehension and outcomes in the cath lab.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Communication
- Patient Education
Background:
- Effective patient-physician communication is vital in healthcare.
- Understanding patient comprehension of medical information is essential for informed decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess patient understanding of coronary angiography results.
- To identify factors contributing to miscommunication in the cardiac catheterization lab.
Main Methods:
- A survey of 288 patients 15 minutes after receiving verbal coronary angiography results.
- Questions assessed recall of procedure details, findings, and recommendations.
Main Results:
- While 98.6% were informed, only 53.4% recalled information correctly on average.
- Physician-related factors accounted for 85.4% of misunderstandings.
- Complex cases, cultural differences, and non-cardiologist reporting worsened comprehension.
Conclusions:
- Standard verbal reports of coronary angiography results frequently lead to patient misunderstanding.
- Enhancing physician communication skills is necessary to improve patient comprehension in the cath lab.
Background:
Communication between patient and physician remains a central step of interaction.
Patients And Methods:
15 min after receiving the results of their coronary angiography via a standard verbal report, a total of 288 patients were asked the following questions: (1) Were the results of coronary angiography explained to you? (2) Who performed your procedure? (3) Were there any narrowings in your coronary arteries? (4) Was your left ventricular ejection fraction normal? (5) What kind of therapy was recommended to you?
Results:
98.6% of the patients were informed about the results of their coronary angiography. 31.2% were able to recall the name of the interventionalist. 52.8% knew about their coronary arteries, 36.8% knew their left ventricular function, and 92.7% were able to recall the recommendations for therapy (mean 53.4% correct answers). In 14.6%, the causes of incorrect answers were related to the patient, in 85.4% to the doctor. The number of incorrect answers increased significantly in patients with complex angiographic results, cultural discordance between physician and patient, and presentation of the results by noncardiologists (p < 0.001 for all).
Conclusion:
Communication of coronary angiography results to patients via standard verbal reports leads to frequent misunderstanding. To resolve communication problems in the cathlab as effective as possible, communication skills of physicians should be improved.
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