TY - JOUR
T1 - Patients' preferences for patient-centered communication
T2 - a survey from an outpatient department in rural Sierra Leone
AU - Lau, Sofie Rosenlund
AU - Christensen, Søren Troels
AU - Andreasen T., Jesper
N1 - Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/11
Y1 - 2013/11
N2 - Objectives: To investigate patients' preferences for patient-centered communication (PCC) in the encounter with healthcare professionals in an outpatient department in rural Sierra Leone. Methods: A survey was conducted using an adapted version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) as a structured interview guide. The study population was drawn from the population of all adults attending for treatment or treatment for their children. Results: 144 patients were included in the analysis. Factors, such as doctor's friendly approach, the interpersonal relationship and information-sharing were all scored high (patient-centered) on the PPOS. Factors associated with shared-decision making had a lower (doctor-centered) score. A high educational level was associated with a more patient-centered scoring, an association that was most pronounced in the female population. Conclusion: The results provide an insight into the patients' preferences for PCC. Patients expressed a patient-centered attitude toward certain areas of PCC, while other areas were less expressed. More research is needed in order to fully qualify the applicability of PCC in resource-poor settings. Practice implications: Stakeholders and healthcare professionals should aim to strengthen healthcare practice by focusing on PCC in the medical encounter while taking into considerations the patients' awareness and preferences for PCC.
AB - Objectives: To investigate patients' preferences for patient-centered communication (PCC) in the encounter with healthcare professionals in an outpatient department in rural Sierra Leone. Methods: A survey was conducted using an adapted version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) as a structured interview guide. The study population was drawn from the population of all adults attending for treatment or treatment for their children. Results: 144 patients were included in the analysis. Factors, such as doctor's friendly approach, the interpersonal relationship and information-sharing were all scored high (patient-centered) on the PPOS. Factors associated with shared-decision making had a lower (doctor-centered) score. A high educational level was associated with a more patient-centered scoring, an association that was most pronounced in the female population. Conclusion: The results provide an insight into the patients' preferences for PCC. Patients expressed a patient-centered attitude toward certain areas of PCC, while other areas were less expressed. More research is needed in order to fully qualify the applicability of PCC in resource-poor settings. Practice implications: Stakeholders and healthcare professionals should aim to strengthen healthcare practice by focusing on PCC in the medical encounter while taking into considerations the patients' awareness and preferences for PCC.
U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2013.06.025
DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2013.06.025
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23906648
SN - 0738-3991
VL - 93
SP - 312
EP - 318
JO - Patient Education and Counseling
JF - Patient Education and Counseling
IS - 2
ER -