Effective communication with the patient

Abstract

The chronic and slowly progressive nature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can create difficulties in effective communication between healthcare provider and patient. Such barriers, which include the personal beliefs of both caregiver and patient, need to be understood and addressed if the aims of the consultation are to be met.Patients with COPD may feel guilty, depressed and angry about their condition. Many patients with COPD are elderly and/or from lower socio-economic groups, both of which pose challenges to the caregiver, as does the stigma the disease carries, which stems from its strong link with smoking.Humanity, respect and people orientation are vital to good communication with COPD patients. Physicians and nurses should try to avoid patient misunderstanding and uncertainty, involve the patient in decision-making and achieve a shared understanding (concordance), as well as encourage the patient to accept responsibility for the actions agreed. This should improve management decisions made by healthcare professionals and ensure a more satisfied patient. Greater patient satisfaction may improve concordance and so bring about better patient outcomes.

The Consultation in Primary Care: Physician Attributes that Influence Patients’ Satisfaction in Calabar, Nigeria

“…This study demonstrates that involving patients in decisions about their care has a statistically significant effect on their satisfaction. This has been demonstrated by several studies and is a key attribute of the patient-centered consultation method [15][16][17]. Involving the patient does not mean all decisions must be 'ratified' by the patient but it does mean that he should be fully aware of the reasons for the decision and the available options.…”

The Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire to Address the Gap between the Actual and Desired States in COPD Patients

“…Furthermore, multivariate analysis demonstrated that CAT and breathlessness were more significant explanatory variables than the frequency of disease worsening or employment status. These two measures have been emphasized in the symptom assessment of COPD patients following the revision of GOLD 2011 [3]. It has been reported that CAT can appropriately evaluate disease worsening [20] and progress in rehabilitation [21].…”

“…Because of this expected increase in the number of older adults, it is necessary to maintain good communication with elderly patients to continue the treatment of chronic diseases. Humanistic approach, respect, and people-focused attitude are critical for good communication with COPD patients [3].…”

The European Respiratory Review: mature, expanding and targeting new challenges

“…ersjournals.com) and the number of downloaded ERR articles worldwide [3]. As an illustration, the top 10 most read articles since November 2010 have totalled more than 76,458 full-text downloads [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Together, the recently launched ERS publications app, the ERR website optimised for smartphones and tablets, the social bookmarks for Twitter and Facebook, and the twitter feed @ERSpublications, contribute to increasing the visibility of ERR articles.…”