How do hospital providers perceive and experience the information-delivery process? A qualitative exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Communication
• Patient Education
• Professional Experience

Background:

• Effective patient communication is crucial for healthcare.
• Understanding provider experiences in information delivery is essential for improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how healthcare professionals manage patient information delivery.
• To understand the subjective experiences of professionals during this process.
• To identify areas for enhancing patient information strategies.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews.
• 13 hospital professionals from Lausanne University Hospital participated.
• Explored various types of information shared and the delivery process.

Main Results:

• Information shared includes condition, treatment, and educational materials.
• The process involves informing and checking patient reception, aiming for patient action.
• Providers experience negative emotions like guilt and inadequacy when the process falters.

Conclusions:

• Current informing and checking strategies are suboptimal.
• Professionals require guidance to improve information delivery and reduce discomfort.
• Addressing the process itself offers insights for training program development.