Effective Hospital Communication

In the medical profession, doctor and patient communication is one of the

competencies that doctors must master. Communication competence determines success

in helping to resolve patient health problems. In Indonesia, some doctors feel they don't

have enough time to talk with their patients, so they only ask as needed. As a result,

doctors may not get enough information to establish a diagnosis and determine further

planning and action.

Effective communication is able to influence the patient's emotions in making decisions

about the next plan of action. According to Kurtz (1998) that effective communication

does not require a long time. Effective communication is proven to require less time

because officers, nurses and doctors are skilled at recognizing patient needs. On the

basis of patient needs, nurses and doctors manage the management of health problems

with patients.

From the patient's side, patients generally feel in a lower position in front of the doctor

so they are afraid to ask questions and tell stories or express themselves. This paradigm

must be corrected. Patients and doctors must be in an equal position so that patients do

not feel inferior and ashamed to be able to tell the pain / complaint they experienced

honestly and clearly. An attitude of empathy needs to be involved in communication

with patients so that patients can feel equality with doctors and nurses and other health

workers, which impacts patients can be more open in expressing the problem.

According to research by Derksen, et al (2013) that involving empathy in

communicating with patients can significantly influence the clinical outcome, as well as

reducing stress levels and patient anxiety.

In conclusion, effective communication is not only useful for doctors and health

workers in gathering information about patients, but also gives positive results to

patients. Effective communication is not only about the quantity of time of interaction,

but about quality of interaction and right on target, so that in the end it will give good

results to the patient's therapeutic results.

References
- Kurtz S, Silverman J, Draper J. 1998. Teaching and Learning Communication
Skills in Medicine. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press.
- Derksen F, Bensing J, Lagro-Janssen A. 2013. Effectiveness of empathy in
general practice: a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice.