RESEARCH PAPER
Communication between doctors and nurses with patients as one of the indicators of the quality of provided medical services"
1
Zakład Medycyny Społecznej, Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Łodzi, Polska
2
Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, Polska
Corresponding author
Anna Agnieszka Warczyńska
Zakład Medycyny Społecznej, Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Łodzi, ul. Żeligowskiego 7/9, 90-752 Łódź, Polska
Zakład Medycyny Społecznej, Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Łodzi, ul. Żeligowskiego 7/9, 90-752 Łódź, Polska
Med Og Nauk Zdr. 2025;31(2):126-131
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective:
The way of communication with patients affects both the quality of healthcare services and patient satisfaction. Empathy, clear explanation of procedures, and active listening encourage adherence to medical recommendations and enhance therapy safety. The aim of this study was to assess the role of doctor-patient and nursepatient communication in selected primary healthcare centres, and to determine to what extent the quality of communication serves as a measure of service quality.
Material and methods:
The study was conducted from March 2019 – March 2020 in three randomly selected primary healthcare centres. The PASAT POZ1 questionnaire and an author-designed survey were used. Anonymous data from 1,118 completed questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 29.0.
Results:
The study confirmed the predominant effect of communication with doctors and nurses on patient trust and satisfaction. In the Poddębice centre, 67% of assessments of medical staff communication were rated as ‘very good’” Spearman’s rank correlations (r_s=0.62–0.68) indicated the key role of empathy and health education, whereas long queues for doctor appointments (r_s=–0.35) significantly lowered patient satisfaction. It is recommended to intensify pro-health education and develop soft skills among medical staff in primary healthcare centres.
Conclusions:
Proper communication by doctors and nurses promotes better adherence to recommendations and increases trust in the medical team. Variations in the level of communication observed in the studied centres indicate the need for systematic training in interpersonal skills and optimization of appointment times. The findings confirm that communication should be a priority measure in healthcare management and its improvement may exert a significant effect on patient satisfaction with treatment.
The way of communication with patients affects both the quality of healthcare services and patient satisfaction. Empathy, clear explanation of procedures, and active listening encourage adherence to medical recommendations and enhance therapy safety. The aim of this study was to assess the role of doctor-patient and nursepatient communication in selected primary healthcare centres, and to determine to what extent the quality of communication serves as a measure of service quality.
Material and methods:
The study was conducted from March 2019 – March 2020 in three randomly selected primary healthcare centres. The PASAT POZ1 questionnaire and an author-designed survey were used. Anonymous data from 1,118 completed questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 29.0.
Results:
The study confirmed the predominant effect of communication with doctors and nurses on patient trust and satisfaction. In the Poddębice centre, 67% of assessments of medical staff communication were rated as ‘very good’” Spearman’s rank correlations (r_s=0.62–0.68) indicated the key role of empathy and health education, whereas long queues for doctor appointments (r_s=–0.35) significantly lowered patient satisfaction. It is recommended to intensify pro-health education and develop soft skills among medical staff in primary healthcare centres.
Conclusions:
Proper communication by doctors and nurses promotes better adherence to recommendations and increases trust in the medical team. Variations in the level of communication observed in the studied centres indicate the need for systematic training in interpersonal skills and optimization of appointment times. The findings confirm that communication should be a priority measure in healthcare management and its improvement may exert a significant effect on patient satisfaction with treatment.
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