[Patients and relatives’ perception regarding communication with healthcare professionals]

Understanding the strengths and difficulties regarding communication between healthcare workers and families and a family member suffering chronic illness or disability, from the perception of patients and families receiving healthcare services.

This was a qualitative, interpretative study. The psychological approach adopted was systemic, from a socio-constructionist perspective. The sample was drawn from people contacted at the Universidad de La Sabana’s clinic, Colombia. Question guidelines were based on deductive categories in the first phase; two focus groups were formed during the second phase by people suffering chronic diseases or disability and family members of people in such situation. A survey was then made using the results for data triangulation and saturation, including other patients and relatives.

People saw professional teamwork, providing care, the sufficiency of the information received and the use of strategies for teaching procedures and answering questions as strengths. They pointed out communication difficulties, like healthcare workers making assumptions about negative prognostics and adopting superior attitudes, or lacking consistency and continuity, as well as high staff turnover.

Patients and relatives generally adopted an attitude of acceptance concerning the relationship established with healthcare workers; however, when probing more specifically, aspects to be improved were made more explicit, where communication may enable a less hierarchic and more collaborative relationship, providing a space for emotional processes.