Communicating with patients about breakdowns in care: a national randomised vignette-based survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many patients are reluctant to speak up about breakdowns in care, resulting in missed opportunities to respond to individual patients and improve the system. Effective approaches to encouraging patients to speak up and responding when they do are needed.

Objective

To identify factors which influence speaking up, and to examine the impact of apology when problems occur.

Design

Randomised experiment using a vignette-based questionnaire describing 3 care breakdowns (slow response to call bell, rude aide, unanswered questions). The role of the person inquiring about concerns (doctor, nurse, patient care specialist), extent of the prompt (invitation to patient to share concerns) and level of apology were varied.

Setting

National online survey.

Particip

SUBMITTER: Fisher KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7170008 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature