Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of parents of paediatric patients with physicians’ communication skills.
A survey among Saudi parents of 200 child patients was conducted in Madinah Maternity and Children Hospital, Almadinah Almunawwarah, Saudi Arabia, in July–September 2011. One of the parents of each child was interviewed once by trained interviewers using a questionnaire in Arabic to ascertain their satisfaction with physicians’ communication skills. Four domains of communication were measured: relationship-building, information exchange, degree of involvement of the parents in the child’s care, and demonstration of efforts and competence. Appropriate statistical tests were used, with a P value ⩽0.05 as the indicator of a significant difference.
Most of the respondents were mothers (85%). Statistically significant differences by medical facility (inpatient and outpatient) were observed for all the domains of communication studied. The average satisfaction scores for relationship-building were high for mothers, inpatient facilities and children with chronic diseases. The average scores for the other domains were high for fathers, inpatient facilities and children with acute and emergency conditions. The average overall satisfaction score differed significantly by medical facility and parent’s educational level.
The satisfaction of the parents with physicians’ communication differed by domain, inpatient or outpatient department, child’s disease, parent’s relationship to the child and the educational level of the parent. Large-scale studies are needed to investigate the generalizability of these results.