A Study of the comminication between medical professionals and patients in patient-centered outpatient care

Abstract

Background: In recent years, healthcare organizations worldwide have shifted away from clinicand medical professional-centered service delivery models toward more patient-centered approaches. These approaches emphasize personalized care, active patient engagement in medical decision-making, and support for patients in managing their chronic conditions. Aim: To study patient-centered care in outpatient services of public and private hospitals. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study design was employed using a quantitative survey method. A total of 575 patients who received outpatient care in public and private hospitals were included in the study. The Patient–Professional Interaction Questionnaire (PPIQ) was used to evaluate patient-centered outpatient care. The questionnaire consisted of 16 items grouped into four domains. The internal consistency of the instrument was high, with a Cronbach’s α=0.929. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. Results: The mean score for effective communication was higher in private hospitals 4.36 (SD=0.61) compared with public hospitals 3.90 (SD=0.66) with a mean difference of 0.46 points (p<0.001). The mean score for attention to the patient’s agenda was higher in private hospitals 3.93 (SD=0.80) than in public hospitals 3.36 (SD=0.88), showing a statistically significant difference of 0.57 points (p<0.001). Similarly, empathy scores were higher in private hospitals 3.94 (SD=0.76) than in public hospitals 3.51(SD=0.79), with a mean difference of 0.43 points (p<0.001). Patient involvement scores were also higher in private hospitals 4.11(SD=0.80) compared with public hospitals 3.56 (SD=0.87), indicating a statistically significant difference of 0.55 points (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study compared patient-centered outpatient care between public and private hospitals and found that all indicators-including effective communication, interest patient’s agenda, empathy, and patient involvement in care -were statistically significantly higher in private hospitals (p<0.001).