CAUSES FOR INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEDICAL SPECIALISTS

Abstract

Purpose: In the resent years the healthcare system has moved to inter-professional, cross-disciplinary, multi-person approach where the communications are very important for ensuring patient safety. Communication in health organisations needs to be studied and analysed deeply and comprehensively because the future of an organisation often depends on good communication. The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyse the reasons for ineffective communication between medical specialists in the teams they work in. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire method is used. Through a survey over a period of 12 months (from 01. 12. 2014 to 01. 12. 2015) at the Escullap Hospital in Pazardzhik, DCC 18 - Sofia, St. Mina Hospital in Plovdiv, MHAT – Plovdiv, DCC 1 in Haskovo, UMHAT in Stara Zagora, DCC 3 in Varna and MHAT – Parvomay, was studied and analyzed the opinion of medical specialists on the effectiveness of communication within the team they work in. The survey includes 477 medical specialists. Results and conclusions: According to 41.1% of the respondents, the communication in the team they work in is insufficiently effective. Most of the respondents (39.8%) find their colleagues responsible for the ineffective communication, followed by those who seek the cause for poor communication in the management of the health care facility (27.6%). The leading cause of poor communication in the team according to the study participants is the inequality between the characters of the colleagues (41.9%). According to the majority of respondents (28.3%), improvements in facilities and wage increases (27.3%) would be essential to improve communication within the team they work in. Recommendations have been formulated to improve communication among medical specialists.