Staff-patient communications in a chest hospital.

Of recent years the problems of human relations in hospital have attracted considerable concern, and one of the most discussed aspects of these relations is the giving of information to patients by medical and paramedical staff. The subject was discussed in detail by an international study group the proceedings of which are related by Barnes (1961), and various studies have reported that one of the most frequent complaints by hospital patients is that they are not told enough (McGhee, 1961; Cartwright, 1964). The demands of the patient are summarized by Freidson (1961) as falling chiefly and almost entirely under two heads: technical competence on the part of doctors and the taking of a personal interest in the patient. This study concentrates on matters which affect the patient's perception of personal interest being taken in him by hospital staff, and these consist mainly in the verbal and expressive exchanges which take place between him and the hospital personnel. The aim of the interviewing programme was to interview about 200 patients aged 14 and over discharged successively from the hospital. Staff patients were excluded. Interviewing was done between January 25 and March 6, 1965. As can be seen from Table I a successful interview was completed for 76 per cent. of patients only. Non-respondents are classified into "avoidable" and "inevitable". The "avoidable" lapses were due to two causes: either the patient left before he could be interviewed, or the discharge was not notified to the interviewer. Thus 21 per cent. of the sample were not interviewed owing to causes avoidable by administrative action. Much of this loss would not have occurred had the interviewer been resident in the hospital.