Evaluation of factors influencing physician–patient communication in healthcare service delivery

Abstract

Physician–patient communication has received less focus in the study of healthcare service delivery in Nigeria. The majorityofcommunicationreliesonmessagedeliveryratherthaninterpersonalcommunication.Evenwhendoctors have significant knowledge to share with their patients, they frequently lack the interpersonal communication skills required to do it successfully. This quantitative study employed the analysis of 150 valid responses from practicing physicians in Lagos state. Descriptive statistics were carried out to understand the factors influencing physician–patient communication. The results revealed good communication skills among physicians as they agreed to have social conversations with patients, listen intently to them, and promote question-asking. The responses from the survey also revealed that factors such as limited consultation time and unfavorable working environmentscouldnegativelyimpactphysician–patientcommunication.Furthermore,thetesthypothesisrevealed a significant correlation between physicians’ age and gender (p < 0.05), whereas physicians’ ethnicity and religion had non-significant associations. The evaluation of factors influencing physician–patient communication revealed that several individual and contextual factors contribute to effective communication, including physician communication skills, patient health literacy, and system-level factors such as time constraints and workload. Healthcare organizations and policymakers should prioritize efforts to improve physician–patient communication by addressing the identified factors that influence communication and implementing evidence-based interventions to enhance communication between physicians and patients.