CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Improved health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and the delivery of operational healthcare services all need effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients. Effective communication between medical personnel and patients is necessary for health promotion, accurate diagnosis, patient safety, and compliance. Good communication helps to build trust in relationships between healthcare providers and patients and allows for a better understanding of the patient's medical problems.(Chen 2007) As a consequence, the diagnosis and treatment of the patient's condition improves. Time management, difficulties with rapport building, patients who are poor historians, physicians who do not effectively explain the condition and management to their patients, language, religion, and culture of the patient and physician, and the physical set up of the clinic are all examples of communication barriers in healthcare delivery. These communication obstacles lead to lower healthcare quality, worse health consequences, and health inequalities. Improved care, medication adherence, and patients' comprehension of diagnosis and treatment are all related to the level of communication between the patient and the health care practitioner, according to research (HCP). The patient's understanding of the diagnosis and therapy, as well as adherence to treatment recommendations, is hampered by language difficulties. This may lead to the doctor doing an examination for an illness that the patient may have mistakenly conveyed while describing another condition. Lack of access to excellent healthcare services may be exacerbated by the inability to communicate effectively with health-care providers. Communication between medical professionals and patients may be influenced by cultural and sociopolitical variables.(Kulaksız, 2015) Patients' expressions of physical and emotional discomfort to their HCP, who is regarded as not a part of their family, may be influenced by differences in beliefs, values, and cultural traditions. Patients from this culture may find it challenging to communicate specific issues related to physical or mental difficulties. They may interact with the HCP in a different way, resulting in erroneous diagnoses and treatment choices. Patients' perceptions about their physicians have been shown to create communication barriers between them and their HCP. Some patients see their physicians as "superiors" who ought to be treated with reverence. This cultural/professional conflict has an impact on how patients and physicians communicate about their illnesses. The ‘place of origin' may also affect communication between patients and their physicians. Healthcare workers may have unconscious prejudices towards patients who may not share their racial or cultural backgrounds. Patients' responses to suggestions, screening, and treatment plans may be harmed as a result of such problems interfering with communication between patients and medical providers. The connection between the doctor and the patient is influenced by nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication differences, such as proxemics, kinesics, and paralanguage, have an effect on how patients interact with their healthcare providers. When communicating, proxemics refers to how individuals unconsciously utilize the space around them. This differs from one culture to the next. People perceive ‘touch' and ‘holding hands' differently depending on their cultural/ethnic background.' Moving away or moving aside, ‘touch' and ‘holding hands' are viewed differently by people depending on their cultural/ethnic background. The way individuals move their bodies while communicating is referred to as kinesics. Body motions during communication are described through gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and touching. Kinesics differ from one culture to the next. For various ethnic groups, the simple act of smiling will have diverse meanings. This may have an impact on how people interact with their healthcare providers. Variations in speech such as voice quality, loudness, pace, pitch, nonfluences (for example, uh, um, emm, ah, and so on), laughing, yawning, and so on are often misinterpreted by individuals depending on their ethnicity and culture. If nonverbal communication, such as paralanguage, is not recognized in a timely manner, it may have an impact on the patient's perception of their connection with the HCP. Unaware of the patient's cultural differences, an HCP may unintentionally insult the patient, obstructing communication. Reduce communication obstacles in health care settings through using interpreters, educating healthcare practitioners in cross-cultural communication, and passing legislation to help patients who do not speak the same language. There are few research on communication obstacles in health care. As a consequence, this research was carried out to identify different communication obstacles and their impact on healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The importance of sufficient and effective communication between health information officers and patients in the delivery of health care cannot be overstated. Due to a lack of communication, serious medical mistakes may occur, resulting in severe damage or unexpected patient death. Medical mistakes in the past have been linked to a lack of sufficient and efficient communication in today's health-care institutions. The study's issue is to assess the difficulties in efficient communication between health information officers and patients.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are to:

I.         To find out if  health inform officers and patients in the Abuja general hospitals are communicating effectively.

II.      to evaluate tthe effects of good communication between health information officers and patients in general hospitals in Abuja.

III.   To determine the barriers to successful communication between health information officers and patients at general hospitals in Abuja.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

I.         Do health information officers and patients in the Abuja general hospitals are communicate effectively.

II.      What are the effects of good communication between health information officers and patients in general hospitals in Abuja.

III.   What are the barriers to successful communication between health information officers and patients at general hospitals in Abuja.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The research examines the difficulties of successful communication between health information officers and patients. Abuja General Hospital is the subject of this case study. It offers pertinent data for the efficient development and execution of policies that will improve the achievement of the desired goal.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research examines the difficulties of successful communication between health information officers and patients. A case study of a general hospital in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.

1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY

The research was restricted by logistical and geographical constraints.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Communication: Communication is the process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. It is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share meaning. In general, communication is a means of connecting people or places

Healthcare: the organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community.

Healthcare PROVIDER: Healthcare providers consist of those institutions or individuals which provides healthcare services.

Get this material NGN 5,000

Message Us on WhatsApp  »