Comparison of communication during home medical care between patients with intractable neurological disorders and those with malignant tumors

Abstract

AbstractAimHome medical care is currently a topic of discussion in Japan. It is reported that the key to the success of home medical care is communication. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the characteristics of communication during home medical care of patients with intractable neurological diseases (IND patients) by comparing them with patients with malignant tumors, the representative common disease for home medical care.MethodsA questionnaire survey was sent out in June and July 2011 to 295 families of patients who had previously received home medical care. The response rate was 83.8% (n = 227). Communication backgrounds were compared between those patients whose primary disease was either IND or malignant tumor.ResultsAnalysis of responses from 104 families (IND, 30 and malignant tumors, 74). was undertaken The number of families that experienced “doctor‐patient communication without family” was 15% (n = 4) in the IND group and 35% (n = 24) in the malignant tumor group (P < 0.05). The number of families who had experienced “doctor‐family communication without patient” was 44% (n = 12) in the IND group and 83% (n = 54) in the malignant tumor group (P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences in doctors' stay duration were observed.ConclusionIt is suggested that communication with the patient in the presence of their family is characteristic of communication during home medical care of IND patients, because this was observed to be more frequent than that for malignant tumor patients.