Problems in Communications with Patients in General Surgery Outpatient Practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Communication
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Effective physician-patient communication is crucial for quality healthcare.
• Communication skills training has received insufficient attention in Turkey, impacting national healthcare quality.
• This study addresses the need to assess and improve basic communication skills in a low-socioeconomic setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate basic communication skills in a general surgery outpatient department.
• To identify barriers to effective patient-physician communication.
• To propose solutions for enhancing communication in healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• A one-month study in a general surgery outpatient clinic in Ankara serving a low-socioeconomic population.
• Data collected included patient demographics (age, sex, education), symptom expression duration, interview time, medical history, and types of patient questions.
• Interruptions during interviews were also recorded and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Analysis of 410 interviews revealed mean symptom expression of 22.9 seconds and interview time of 7.05 minutes.
• Educated, male, and younger patients tended to express symptoms longer (p<0.05).
• Interruptions significantly increased interview duration (p<0.05), and illiterate patients asked more questions about hospital setting (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Basic communication skills training is feasible and beneficial, even in resource-limited or rural settings.
• Enhanced focus on communication skills education is essential for improving healthcare quality.
• Low educational attainment and healthcare system disorganization are significant obstacles to effective medical communication.