Theodosia Peleki, Zoe Resmpitha, Anastasia Mavraki, Manolis Linardaki2, Nikolaos Rikos and Michael Rovithis
Background: Acquisition of efficient communication is based on particular techniques and skills and requires the participation of at least two people, namely the addresser or transmitter of the message and the addressee or receiver of the message.
Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess and compare patients? and nursing staff's opinions relating to the communication developed between them during hospitalization and to explore possible correlations with demographic characteristics.
Methods and Material: A comparative, descriptive / correlational design was utilized to accomplish the purpose of this study. Study sample were 120 nursing staff working in a University General Hospital of Crete. Sample included 120 internal patients admitted in clinics of the same hospital. Data was collected through the use of a questionnaire, created by the researchers for the needs of the present study. The survey was conducted from June 2013 to August 2013. Statistical analysis was performed with the statistical package SPSS, version 21.0.
Results: The 58,7% of the patients considered the frequency of information given by nurses not be satisfactory. Instead, the 34.2% of the nursing staff was satisfied with the time they dedicated on communicating with their patients. Appeared that patients with a higher education express a significantly higher disagreement concerning information (r=-0.247, p=0.008), care (r=-0.366, p<0.001) and communication (r=-0.296, p=0.001) they receive from the nursing staff.
Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, a bidirectional communication is efficient when the objectives of the communication are accomplished, and thus interactive relationship is enhanced. Therefore, common codes of communication promote an appropriate and effective attitude of the nursing staff towards patients.
