Patients' Expectations as to Doctors' Behaviors During Appointed Visits

Predictors of Healthcare Workers' Compassionate Care Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Patients' Perspective in Kelantan, Malaysia

Background: Compassionate care served by healthcare workers (HCWs) has been recognized as one of the most critical aspects of high-quality care. Unfortunately, there is still an unmet need for the assessment of compassionate care from the patient’s perspective. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many new rules were enacted to tackle the raging pandemic, which raised concerns about its effect on compassionate care. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 315 patients from three public hospitals was conducted during the conditional movement control order (CMCO). A self-administered Malay version of the Relational Aspect of Care Questionnaire (RAC-QM) was used to assess compassionate care. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the predictors. Results: More than 90% of the patients were Malays, Muslims, and fell under the B40 household income category. Companions were present for 51.7% of the patients, but 75.2% had no visitors. All hospitals received scores of more than 90%. Occupation (student, p = 0.032), dependency level (total dependent, p < 0.001), and household income level (M40, p = 0.027) were the statistically significant predictors for compassionate care. Conclusions: The current study revealed that compassionate care to patients was not compromised during the pandemic. Patients with disabilities or financial constraints are more likely to experience less compassionate care, while students are generally more satisfied. This study may provide clues for hospital administrators and policymakers regarding the vulnerable group of patients. It also provides opportunities for future research to study the perspective of HCWs.

Preferred Medium of Receiving Diagnostic News Depending on Patients' Perception of Their Health Status (Healthy or Sick)

BACKGROUND

The study aims to gain insight into people's preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news depending on their perception of their health status (either sick or healthy).

METHODS

Comprehensive research was carried out on two main groups of past and prospective patients, Polish respondents (N=72) and International respondents (N= 214), using a CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) technique. Respondents were asked in an online questionnaire about the past history of illness, whether they would like to receive their diagnostic news and preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news whether they perceive they are sick or healthy.

RESULTS

Amongst the international group, majority of respondents (143 resp. - 73.71%) would generally like to receive their diagnostic news and 156 resp. (80.83%) would prefer to receive their bad diagnostic news (BDN) from medical specialist doctors as opposed to other technological and non-technological means. Meanwhile, in the polish group, 65 resp. (90.28%) would like to generally receive their diagnostic news and 66 resp. (91.67%) would prefer to receive their BDN from medical specialist doctors as opposed to other proposed means of obtaining BDN.

CONCLUSION

The result of this study indicates that medical doctors, especially specialists, are still a preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news. However, a certain proportion of respondents will be open to technological medium in receiving their diagnostic news.

Delivering bad news: patient's perspective and opinions

PURPOSE

The aim of our research was to gain knowledge about patients' opinions, experiences, and preferences with regard to the way the news is being delivered to them.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Detailed research was carried out on a group of 314 patients using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) technique. Adult responders who had earlier received bad news were questioned about their opinion about the way the doctor acted while delivering bad news and how he did it.

RESULTS

Patients, who define the following aspects of their visit as negative/lacking: 1) doctor's behavior in the moment of delivering bad news, 2) amount of time devoted to the visit, 3) lack of doctor's attention, 4) usage of medical terminology, 5) doctor's honesty, 6) emotional and cognitive support from the doctor, more often tend to change the doctor in charge of their therapy or decide to cease the medical treatment.

CONCLUSION

Doctors' behavior and the way they deliver news to patients are key elements that strongly influence patients' future therapy. It makes an impact on patient's decision whether to continue or cease the treatment. In the first case, it also leads the patient to choose to continue the treatment under the guidance of the same specialist or to find another one. The data that we acquired and that we will discuss below will form the basis for editing a communication protocol concerning delivering bad news. It is necessary to create such a protocol in order to improve the quality of communication with patients, especially as regards delivering bad news to them.