Patients with schizophrenia assessing psychiatrists’ communication skills

Abstract

The doctor-patient relationship constitutes the matrix of the entire medical practice. One way in which doctors develop a positive rapport with their patients is through appropriate communication. Evidence suggests that doctors do not communicate with their patients as they should. Important gaps are observed in doctors’ communication with patients with schizophrenia.

Aim

Examine psychiatrists’ communication skills as assessed by their patients with schizophrenia and through external observation, considering patients’ socio-demographic and clinical variables and analyse the importance that aspects of communication have for patients.

Methodology

This cross-sectional study involved a sample of 30 patients and 11 doctors. An adapted and culturally validated version of the Communication Assessment Tool was used for data collection. Data were analysed in IBM SPSS Statistics^®, version 24.

Results

Male patients constituted 86.7% of the sample and mean age was 46.7 ± 13.3. The overall mean percentage of items rated as excellent by patients was 57.4%. On the other hand, external observer percentage of excellent scores was much lower when compared with patients’ scores. Single, divorced or widower/widow patients, patients with higher educational level and patients with shorter number of years in medical treatment gave significantly higher scores to psychiatrists’ communication. Patients’ sex, age, occupation residence and family type did not yield statistically significant effects on patients’ ratings.

Conclusions

Communication is at the heart of psychiatrists’ daily practice. Many communication styles might be needed, depending on the nature of clinical encounters and patient expectations. Specific training is required to optimise psychiatrists’ communication skills on everyday practice.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.